Cervical Cancer Death Rates in Ireland Increase Significantly
January 23, 2008 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
In Ireland, the rate of cervical cancer deaths increased by 40%.
Dr. Tracy Murray of the Irish Family Planning Association reported that it is not the unavailability of cervical cancer vaccines, but the lack of education and information on the disease, that it is preventable.
Over 180 women are diagnosed with the disease here every year and it kills an average of 73 women annually, despite the fact that it’s preventable.
A vaccine is available for cervical cancer but less than a third of Irish women know it exists.
The numbers are alarming. This report reinforces the major role of education in this matter. Information is power and access to available (cervical cancer) vaccines will solve most healthcare problems.
The solution doesn’t stop on the availability of vaccines and medications, generally speaking. The people should be able to afford them, right?
I have sent the followin email to Mary Harney, Minister for health, Republic of Ireland..please help to spread the message.
Dear Minister Harney,
I read with distress your comments in the Irish Times of 5th November last where you say the cost of medication and its appropriateness “was a huge issue for all of us”.
I would submit that, in this case, it would be more of an issue for the 200 women who will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this coming year and even more so for the 80 women
who will die from this illness. If the “appropriateness” is an issue, what about the Pain and suffering that will be caused by you in canceling this invaluable scheme ?
If the latter is not an issue for you then, I imagine that the “cost of medication” is. So, purely from a cost standpoint, as opposed to that of your responsibility as Minister of Health to ensure your fellow citizens
have proper access to medical treatment, how much will it cost to look after 200 victims of cervical cancer next year for periods ranging from 6 months to possibly 3 years ? Would you think less than or greater than
10 Million Euros ? If you are making a budget surplus, how much would you need for it to be equivalent to the lives of 200 fellow women ? What’s your price on a woman’s life ?
From the “Summary of 2009 Budget Measures” …
“The changes for ATM and Debit cards will take effect for the year ending 31 December 2008, the duty for which is normally collected from bank customers by financial institutions in early 2009.
These changes are expected to cost €12 million in 2008 and will cost €14 million in a full year.”
I can only assume that reducing the applicable stamp duty on ATM / Debit cards from 5 euros to 2.50 euros and spending 14 million euros of the taxpayers money doing so, is more important than implementing a
simple measure that could save the lives of hundreds of women, possibly including my 9 year old daughter Annah . Just to bring this in to a personal perspective, Annah, on her mother’s side, comes from a family of 3 sisters. The oldest sister, Oane, died of cancer at age 33, followed by her mother, Ineke, a year later. This is an inordinate amount of suffering for one family. Annah’s mother, Doutsen, was, last year, informed of the presence of abnormal cells after a Cervical Screening. Another member of her family was also informed of the same finding. Have we moved away from ATM / Debit cards and “appropriateness” yet Minister ?
The effectiveness of the Cervical Cancer Vaccine has already been proven, it’s not a matter of “appropriateness”. If you need to save money, then
* Explore the possibility of prescribing generics, as they are
currently doing in France.
* Stop General Practitioners from prescribing drugs based on how
well they are compensated by Pharmaceutical Sales representatives.
* Impose a levy on the obscene profits that are enjoyed by these
same Pharmaceutical Companies.
* Increase the Income levy from 2% to 2.1% for people who earn
more than 100,000 euros a year and won’t have a problem paying a
consultant in Blackrock Clinic to privately vaccinate their daughters.
But do not condemn my daughter and hundreds of other girls in Ireland to the risk of a long and painful death, when you have the power and the duty to prevent it.
Yours Sincerely,
Andrew Hughes