Results 261-280 of 309 for speaker:Keith Swanick

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Availability (17 Oct 2018)

Keith Swanick: I asked that the Minister come to the House so that I could echo my colleagues, Deputies Calleary and Lisa Chambers, and my Seanad colleague, Senator Conway-Walsh, in calling for the drug Spinraza to be made immediately available. Spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, is a group of inherited diseases of the motor nerves that cause very debilitating muscle weaknesses and wasting. It is life...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Availability (17 Oct 2018)

Keith Swanick: This is nothing personal but I am disappointed with the Minister of State's answer, which is pretty generic. What will the rare disease committee review? The information is exactly the same as that already received by the NCPE. The dossier is exactly the same, as are the patients and the medical evidence. That is not an adequate answer for people such as Grace and her parents. I have put...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Availability (17 Oct 2018)

Keith Swanick: This cohort of patients is very small. As Biogen has offered the drug for the same price as that in the Benelux countries, we would not be paying any excess.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2018)

Keith Swanick: I echo the points made about the drug Spinraza. I also echo the comments of Senator Conway-Walsh on coastal erosion in the Erris region. I put some harrowing footage on my social media pages last week. It was very scary and hopefully the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, will visit us on the topic. I have raised the restoration of the FEMPI cuts and the general practice...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (17 Oct 2018)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister back to the House. Fianna Fáil will support this Bill, which makes minor technical amendments to the relevant Act and will facilitate any non-Irish health and social care professional qualification which was recognised in the State prior to the introduction of statutory registration with CORU in 2005. Although a number of professions in 2005 had informal or...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: National Dementia Strategy (21 Nov 2018)

Keith Swanick: I thank Senator Kelleher for sharing time. A recently published independent report, Evaluation of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Dementia Adviser Service Report, by UCC, which was commissioned by the HSE's national dementia office as part of the implementation of the national dementia strategy, highly recommended an increase in the number of dementia advisers to meet the increasing demand...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2018)

Keith Swanick: I wish to speak on the topic of loneliness. As Members are aware, I founded the loneliness task force in association with Seán Moynihan from ALONE. We sought submissions from all over the country and these prove that loneliness crosses all demographics. Loneliness is a problem for young and old, urban and rural, and rich and poor. We all know it is corrosive in terms of people's...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Keith Swanick: I refer to the topic of Spinraza again. I have spoken about this in the past, as has my colleague, Senator Conway-Walsh. Representatives of the spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, patient group met the newly formed rare diseases review committee on 8 November. They presented for 40 minutes on what life is like with SMA, the disease burden of SMA, and the perceived impact of treatment with...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2019)

Keith Swanick: I highlight the global health crisis of septicaemia and sepsis which affects approximately 30 million people every year across the world and kills 9 million. In Ireland 3,000 people die from sepsis each year. It claims more lives than heart attack, breast cancer or lung cancer. It can kill a person within 12 hours, as the parents of Sean Hughes from Finglas, Joe and Karen, know all about....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implications for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Jan 2019)

Keith Swanick: Many of my points have been touched upon, but I welcome what Mr. Hennessy said earlier about the organ transplant programme at Great Ormond Street, and also the collaboration between the ambulance services in case of major incidences and emergencies. My colleague, Senator Burke, mentioned young health professionals going to the UK to gain experience. That is invaluable; I spent some time in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Contracts (6 Feb 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister to the House. I have asked him here today to discuss the state of negotiations with general practitioners regarding a new contract, to outline a timetable for the reversal of cuts under financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, legislation to general practitioners; and to ask what contingency plans are in place to ensure the retention and recruitment...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Contracts (6 Feb 2019)

Keith Swanick: I note the Minister of State did not comment on any possibility of reversal of FEMPI, which I mentioned in my opening contribution. There seems to be an air of secrecy regarding the new contract, which is a cause of deep frustration for many GPs throughout the country. Why was the National Association of General Practitioners, NAGP, excluded from the contract discussions, bearing in mind it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Feb 2019)

Keith Swanick: I wish to raise an issue in regard to health. I spoke in the Commencement debate earlier on the issue of GPs marching today, FEMPI cuts and the provision of an adequate contract for GPs. I was contacted this morning by the parents of a child with spinal muscular atrophy, about which I and many Senators have spoken in the House. They are still awaiting a date for final approval of the drug,...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Feb 2019)

Keith Swanick: I raise today the matter of medical requirements of our homeless population. We are all aware homelessness has reached unprecedented levels in this country, with more than 10,000 people homeless in Dublin alone. Homeless people, especially rough sleepers, suffer higher levels of infection and are at risk of developing severe medical conditions, including dental problems. I can give an...

Seanad: Loneliness Task Force Report: Statements (13 Feb 2019)

Keith Swanick: As the chairperson of the loneliness task force, I am pleased to discuss the report entitled A Connected Island: An Ireland Free From Loneliness. I express my sincere appreciation to the organisations and individuals who helped prepare the report and made submissions to same. Their input was vital in informing the task force's work and ensuring we all had a thorough understanding of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Mar 2019)

Keith Swanick: I also congratulate the Youthreach programme on its 30th anniversary and Ms Sabrina McEntee, who is the Cavan co-ordinator. I was glad that Ms McEntee was a member of my task force on loneliness. She played an important role in that regard. Today, I would like to highlight the Life Saving Equipment Bill 2017 which I drafted. This Bill passed Second Stage in this House in January 2018. It...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Mar 2019)

Keith Swanick: I first welcome to the House my friend, Mr. Patrick Hughes, who is in the Public Gallery today. I wish to speak briefly on the waiting list issue. Ireland is spending more money than ever on healthcare but there is no correlation between accessibility to healthcare and the money spent. Our waiting lists have reached record levels. The Euro Health Consumer Index, EHCI, rates Ireland last...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Apr 2019)

Keith Swanick: It is now 19 days since the horrific massacre in New Zealand. I praise the manner in which the Prime Minister of that country, Ms Jacinda Ardern, handled the aftermath of the Christchurch mass shooting. I know that other Senators have spoken about this recently but events could easily have been mismanaged by someone with a lot less tact or compassion. Given that my sister lives in New...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Apr 2019)

Keith Swanick: I wish to speak about general practice. As most Members know, I am a GP working at the coal face. I will explain some of the changes that were announced recently. Last Saturday, the Taoiseach and Minister for Health announced some preliminary agreements for changes to contracts for GPs. A full general medical services contract has been promised since April 2017 - two years ago....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jun 2019)

Keith Swanick: I wish to raise the issue of the district hospital network, specifically with regard to Belmullet hospital. On Friday, 31 May the HSE announced that all temporary staff would not have their contracts renewed and that all agency staff would be let go with immediate effect. This came as a bolt from the blue for the staff, the community and the GPs, including myself. If staff numbers are...