Almost 1,000 extra GP's required to meet demand over next 15 years
Tadhg Crowley, GP Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation, on new research outlining the projected demand for GP services over the next 15 years.
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Irish Times
7 days ago
- Irish Times
‘A serious threat to public health': Doctors warn about delay to mandatory alcohol health labels
The delay to introducing mandatory warning labels on alcohol products by two years is a 'serious threat to public health', doctors have warned. The warnings, which would draw a direct link between alcohol and cancer, are among a raft of measures in the Public Health Alcohol Act to reduce consumption. The labels were due to be introduced in May 2026. However, this week Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed the plans would need to be delayed in light of the potential impact of US president Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on trade. The labels will be delayed until 2028. The Irish Medical Organisation , the largest representative body for doctors in Ireland, has condemned the delay, stating it will result in preventable diseases and alcohol-related cancers. READ MORE [ Drinks Ireland warned Taoiseach that alcohol health labelling plans seen as 'trade barrier' by US Opens in new window ] Dr Anne Dee, president of the IMO and a consultant in public health, said the delay means 'health being ignored in favour of corporate interests'. 'It will result in preventable incidences of cancer, increased incidences of liver disease, and harm to children because of a refusal to fully enact a bill signed into law seven years ago,' she said. Under the law, once implemented, all bottles, cans and other containers must contain a back label stating: drinking alcohol causes liver disease; there is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers; a warning symbol for drinking when pregnant; and the website The label should also state the quantity of grammes of alcohol and the energy value expressed in kilojoules and kilocalories. The label must be at least 60mm wide and not less than 30mm high surrounded by a black border. Dr Dee said the labels are about giving people 'basic information' about the risks of cancer. 'These are irrefutable facts. There is no excuse for keeping them off the label. The longer this Government delays, the more irreversible damage is done.' The IMO is the latest organisation to criticise the delay in introducing the mandatory labels. Dr Sheila Gilheany, chief executive of Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) also described the decision as a 'blow for public health' 'In the period to 2028 more than 3,000 people in Ireland will be diagnosed with cancer caused by alcohol. This includes some of the most common cancers in Ireland such as breast and bowel cancer with one in every eight breast cancers arising from alcohol,' she said. 'There will be upwards of 15,000 babies born with [Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder] FASD, which is a completely preventable neuro-developmental condition that has lifelong implications and is estimated to cost the Irish exchequer €2.4 billion a year in terms of service need.' Earlier this week, The Irish Times reported that drinks industry representative organisation, Drinks Ireland, warned Taoiseach Micheál Martin in April that plans for health labels on alcohol have been 'identified as a barrier to trade by the US'. The comments were made during a meeting sought to discuss the impact of US president Donald Trump 's threatened tariffs.
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Delaying alcohol warning labels prioritises profiteering over health, says Irish Medical Organisation
The Government's decision to delay the roll-out of warning labels on alcohol ignores health in favour of corporate interests and profiteering, the president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned. As Ireland continues to experience worsening rates of liver disease, alcohol-related cancers, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), the planned roll-out of alcohol health information labelling has been delayed until 2028 at the earliest. The decision to delay the introduction of health warnings was approved this week by the Cabinet amid concerns the plan would undermine Irish trade competitiveness internationally. The labels, which warn of the health-related risks of alcohol and its link with cancer, had been due to come into effect in May 2026. President of the IMO, Dr Anne Dee, a consultant in public health, described the move as a 'serious threat to public health'. 'It will result in preventable incidences of cancer, increased incidences of liver disease, and harm to children because of a refusal to fully enact a bill signed into law seven years ago.' Labelling provisions under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 are a critical tool in reducing alcohol-related harm, she added. An estimated 4.8% of babies born in Ireland suffer from FASD, which represents the third-highest incidence rate of the disorder in the world. 'This is about giving people the basic information that alcohol causes cancer, liver damage, and harm during pregnancy,' Dr Dee added. 'These are irrefutable facts. There is no excuse for keeping them off the label. The longer this Government delays, the more irreversible damage is done.' Dr Dee also criticised what she described as "the influence of vested interests in opposing the measure". 'We welcome the fact that the Government recently reiterated its refusal to meet with representatives of the tobacco industry in keeping with Ireland's obligations under international frameworks that recognise health-harming industries. But why is the alcohol industry, which produces a substance that results in the deaths of up to 1,500 people in Ireland every year, treated differently?' Lack of courage She called on the Government to implement all measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, adding: "This delay shows a lack of courage and clarity when it comes to confronting the alcohol industry's influence, and an inability to act on the commercial determinants of health.' The Government decision to delay the introduction of alcohol health warnings comes against the backdrop of fears for Irish business from US trade tariffs proposed by Donald Trump. Ibec organisation Drinks Ireland welcomed the move and said it provided 'much-needed relief' for drinks producers in Ireland.
RTÉ News
23-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Children 'starving before our eyes' in Gaza, says Taoiseach
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that "children are starving before our eyes" in Gaza as more than 100 aid organisations warned that "mass starvation" was spreading in the Palestinian territory. In a statement, he said: "The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths of despair and misery." "People are dying every day from lack of food and medicine," said Mr Martin, adding that hundreds "have been killed while trying to collect what little food is available". "This is an affront to our collective humanity," he said. Mr Martin called for an "immediate and permanent ceasefire". He added: "Israel must lift its blockade and allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza. "All hostages must be released by Hamas and returned to their families." Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said that what is happening in Gaza is "beyond any comprehension" adding that the images are "horrific". "It's a stain on Israel at this stage. It's a shame that any government would continue a war that is wreaking such devastation on poor children and innocent children at the scale and level that is happening," he said. The Taoiseach called for a "massive surge" in humanitarian aid into Gaza, adding that he is "very disturbed by the undermining of the UN and the relief organisations". Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than two million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict. Watch: Taoiseach says a shame Israel continues to wreak war on innocent children The UN said that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system. Canadian surgeon says last lifelines in Gaza 'collapsing' Meanwhile, a surgeon based in Gaza said major shortages and crumbling facilities are forcing healthcare workers to provide sub-optimal care for people that have "some of the worst injuries" she has tried to treat. Canadian doctor Deirdre Nunan works at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Nunan said she did not have the relevant tools to carry out the necessary surgeries as an orthopaedic surgeon. She said the Nasser Hospital is crumbling because of numerous Israeli attacks on the facility. In the big operating theatres, she said less than half of the taps work, and in the satellite operating theatres, she said there are days when they have no water or not enough power to run the air-conditioning. "We are cobbling together what is left from the storage rooms to try to piece together something that looks like orthopedic fixation using things that are the wrong size, the wrong length, really providing what is unfortunately sub-optimal care in a totally unfit environment for people that have some of the worse injuries I've ever tried to treat in my life," she said. Dr Nunan said healthcare workers are working in sweltering conditions that are dangerous for patients. "I have to decide between the limited amount of time that we have in the operating room for which patient gets to go into which surgery on which day," she added. Health officials say hospitals have been running out of fuel, food aid and medicine, risking a halt to vital operations. Dr Nunan has been coming to Gaza since 2019 and is currently on her sixth tour of duty. She has been in Gaza for the past three weeks. "It's just one scene of desperation after another through the three weeks that I've been here. "There are more and more people that are living on the hospital grounds and in the hospital corridors themselves." She said the people of Gaza have almost no material possessions left, adding that children are begging for food and fresh water. "I see it worsening before my eyes" Yesterday, the head of Gaza's largest hospital has said 21 children have died due to malnutrition and starvation in the Palestinian territory in the past three days. Dr Nunan described the lives of colleagues living in tents and the ruins of their homes as lives of "bare survival". She agreed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the last lifelines keeping people alive in Gaza were collapsing. "I see it worsening before my eyes," she said. More than 100 aid organisations have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading in the Palestinian territory as Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the territory. Dr Nunan said the people are what bring her back to Gaza. "These are some of the most wonderful people I've ever met in the world. "I've had multi-year friendships with a lot of my colleagues that we keep in touch even when I'm not here." Despite the desperation, she said people in Gaza continue to be "so warm, so welcoming, so generous despite having nothing". She said the healthcare workers are the most dedicated and professional she has ever worked with. "For me it continues to be a privilege to come to Gaza even though I am absolutely heartbroken and extremely, extremely angry with the world for allowing this desecration to take place and for doing so little to stop it."
