THE OCCASION OF HER ATTENDANCE AT THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE IRISH KIDNEY ASSOCIATION
SPEAKING NOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, ON SATURDAY, 11TH DECEMBER, 1993, IN JURY'S HOTEL, DUBLIN
- I am very pleased to be with you this afternoon on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary Celebrations of the Irish Kidney Association. I would like to thank the members of the Association, especially Mr. Paul Smith, former National Chairman, Mr. Bernard O'Brien, your current National Chairman and Mrs. Patricia Doherty, Chief Executive, who is also the first woman to be President of CEAPIR* organisation, for inviting me.
- I know that your Association regards this as a landmark occasion. Fifteen years of existence for a voluntary organisation is a considerable achievement. During that time, the number of kidney transplants has risen dramatically from 35 in 1978 to 123 last year. In addition, because of advances in medicine, the prognosis for those who undergo kidney transplantation has also improved immeasurably.
- The Irish Kidney Association is one of the most successful patient support organisations in the country with a high national profile and with 25 branches in existence in all parts of the country. The Association provides help to newly diagnosed renal disease patients as well as continuing help to those already being treated. The patients receive assistance in the form of information or physical and emotional support from the Association who understand the challenges that must be met in living with kidney disease.
- Kidney disease is an extremely debilitating experience, not only for the patient, but also for their families. This disease demands an extended and prolonged commitment on the part of patients and their families in order to firstly cope with this situation and then to explore all avenues in which to try to alleviate the effects of such disease. I know that those who have been affected by kidney disease and their families, are very patient people indeed. The time waiting for confirmation of diagnosis, the time spent on dialysis, the time waiting for a suitable organ, and the post-transplant period, demand a response well beyond the ordinary.
- I am sure that your Association is an important aid to you during these various periods. However, not only does your Association provide advice and counselling for its members, but it also is extremely successful in striving to constantly improve the life of those who are suffering from kidney disease.
- I know that, particularly through the efforts of your energetic Chief Executive, Mrs. Patricia Doherty, the Irish Kidney Association has been an important conduit in establishing close links with the Department of Health, Beaumont Hospital and the Dialysis Units throughout the country. It plays an extremely constructive role in ensuring that the needs of kidney patients are constantly brought to the attention of the authorities and that resources are provided to meet these needs. The growth in the number of transplants and of the number of people on dialysis is surely an indication of the success of the Association's advocacy over the last fifteen years.
- The public face of many of our charitable organisations is that of fundraising for worthy causes. In addition to fundraising for more research into the incidence, prevention and treatment of kidney disease, the Irish Kidney Association has also been responsible for promoting the donor card campaign which constantly and tangibly raises the issue of transplantation and its worth in the public eye.
- I know that your donor card campaign, which has been supported down through the years by State funding, has been copied by many other countries as a very successful model. Not only has the Kidney Association been successful in promoting the idea of kidney donation, but it has also extended that concept to include that of multi-organ donation. The act of donation is a truly altruistic and charitable act, often given in distressing circumstances for the family of the donor, but also gratefully received on the part of recipients and their families.
- Certainly in terms of the public response, donation of organs in this country is among the highest in Western Europe. The average waiting time for a kidney transplant operation has been reduced from two years to an average of approximately thirteen months. This is in no small part due directly to the efforts of your Association, and again, is something of which you can be truly proud.
- I am also glad to see that the Irish Kidney Association has become involved in European Union supported projects. International co-operation in the field of organ donation is growing and I am glad that the Association is playing its part in obtaining and sharing experiences from other countries as well as disseminating the results of its own efforts. "Return to Independence" was the title given to the Irish Kidney Association's two year programme to establish and develop self-help groups around Ireland. I understand that the programme has been a tremendous success and has assisted in overcoming some of the obstacles to independence.
- It therefore gives me great pleasure indeed to present the special awards which the Irish Kidney Association has initiated to mark the occasion of this splendid Anniversary.
* European Kidney Patients Federation with a membership
of 200,000 patients. Mrs. Doherty was elected in May
for a 2 year term.