Mr. Michael McGloin:

I would like to lobby for a lot more awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. As we have discovered, awareness is the key to getting the word out. If ten people on the street were asked about COPD, perhaps two might have heard of it, so awareness is important.

We do not have an outreach programme in Sligo but it has been rolled out in 12 hospitals around the country. Having met people involved in outreach programmes, I know that they do work. I am a patient myself and rather than being in hospital for ten days, I would be quite happy to be at home in my own environment, with less chance of picking up hospital bugs.

I would also push for help with more pulmonary rehabs around the country because they only exist here and there. I have gone through four of them and they definitely work.