Cork council to seek funding for free sunscreen in schools, libraries, and offices
Free sunscreen should be provided at all schools and public buildings to combat the rise of skin cancer and the likelihood it will increase with hotter weather due to climate change.
Currently more than 11,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed every year and projections suggest that by 2045 they will more than double.
On foot of these figures Cork County Council is to write to minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill urging the government to provide sunscreen at all local authority offices, libraries, schools, third-level institutions, etc just like the roll-out of hand sanitisers during covid.
The motion was proposed by Fine Gael councillor Aileen Browne, a healthcare worker, who said it would reduce the instances of skin cancer, which is now the most common cancer in Ireland.
'The financial argument is just as compelling. Treating advanced melanoma can cost our health service over €122,000 per case. Compare that to just over €4,000 for early-stage treatment. Prevention doesn't just save lives, it saves resources. It relieves pressure on an already overstretched health system,' Ms Browne said.
She added that Irish people are vulnerable to the cancer because of fair skin.
She said:
And while clouds may block the warmth, they do not block UV rays. Your skin can burn, even when the sun is hidden.
'This motion supports Action Area One of the National Skin Cancer Prevention Plan to improve awareness and promote behaviour change. It aligns with the Healthy Ireland framework and the National Cancer Strategy, both of which call for cross-sectoral collaboration to embed preventive measures in everyday life,' Ms Browne added.
Social Democrats councillor Ann Bambury, a mother of four young children, said it makes sense in an increasingly warming climate and added that the government should remove VAT from it as sunscreen is currently classified as a cosmetic.
Independent councillor Ben Dalton-O'Sullivan said the HSE implemented a pilot sunscreen dispensing system at Fountainstown beach last year and he had asked some of its officials to roll it out to all beaches in Co Cork this summer. He didn't say if they had responded favourably to his request yet.
County council chief executive Moira Murrell said she would fully support any such initiative, and the local authority already provides sunscreen to its outdoor workers.
The county council is also rolling out the provision of free menstrual products at its offices which will be available to both staff and the public. This is being done following a request from Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan.
Her party colleague Gillian Coughlan, who chairs Cork ETB, said she has proposed to it that the same initiative is also undertaken in all schools in the region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Aoife Hearne: Has my child inherited coeliac disease from her grandad?
My father is a coeliac and I'm worried my daughter may have the same condition. She's five and has recently started complaining about a sore tummy, particularly after eating toast or a sandwich. Should I eliminate all gluten products from her diet? Or does she need to be tested? Gut issues are common. Almost half of the people who make appointments to see me have some form of gut complaint, ranging from mild bloating to irritable bowel syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gut complaint, and, according to the Irish Medical Journal, it affects between 10% and 20% of the Irish population. IBS symptoms include bloating, cramping and pain, diarrhoea, and constipation. While these symptoms can be debilitating for people with IBS, they are generally not life-threatening. Treatment usually involves looking at current eating habits and may include the low FODMAP diet, which helps identify foods that trigger symptoms and should be reduced or avoided. Unlike some other gut complaints, however, coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition that is triggered by an abnormal response to gluten. While coeliac disease has many symptoms in common with IBS, people often also experience anxiety, depression, tiredness, brain fog, and inability to focus. Diagnosis and treatment of coeliac disease are also markedly different from IBS and there are serious long-term consequences of undiagnosed coeliac disease, such as iron-deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis, and fertility issues. The incidence of coeliac disease is rising around the world. While it is estimated that one in every 100 people in Ireland has the disease, many experts believe the true prevalence is higher. In Finland, the rate is 2.5%, and it is also rising in China and India. Recent results from the SIGENP multi-centre screening study in Italy suggest that 60% of people with coeliac disease remain undiagnosed. First- and second-degree relatives of people with coeliac disease are at increased risk, so familial screening is advised. Screening for coeliac disease involves a blood test that measures tissue transglutaminase (tTg) and endomysial antibody (EMA) levels. These are produced in response to eating gluten-containing foods, such as bread, pasta, pastries, cakes, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and anything made with flour. For this reason, and although it may be challenging, it is essential that your daughter continues to eat gluten until she has been screened. My advice is to consult your GP and discuss the issues your daughter is experiencing, as well as her family history. Although this blood test may rule out coeliac disease, screening is still important. A CORU-registered dietitian will also be able to offer evidence-based nutrition support, both before and after screening. If you have a question for dietitian Aoife Hearne, please send it to parenting@
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Doctors write to health minister over 'deeply damaging' decision on northwest surgical hub
A group of 170 doctors in Donegal have written to the health minister, saying not awarding a new surgical hub to the county is 'flawed, unjustified, and deeply damaging' for patients. Plans to build surgical hubs nationally were first announced in December 2022, with an 18-month turnaround time predicted. However, so far only one of the six has opened, with funding allocated for hubs in Cork, Waterford, and Limerick. A location for the northwest hub has not yet been named, but it has recently emerged this is likely set for Sligo and not Donegal. Now, GPs and hospital doctors have called on health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to meet with them and hear the arguments against that decision. Dr Padraig McGuinness said the decision ignores the reality of local geography. 'Donegal has a larger population than the combined areas of Sligo, Leitrim, South Donegal, and Cavan,' he said. Many of our patients would face round trips of five hours or more to access elective surgical care in Sligo. That's unacceptable and dangerous. He added: "This isn't just about a building or a budget line. It's about whether Donegal patients are treated as equals in our health system. Right now, they're not.' Pressures on Letterkenny hospital are a key reason why they need the hub, argued Dr Louise Moran, consultant in intensive care and anaesthetics. "Patients in Donegal already face some of the worst cancer survival rates in the country due to late presentation and access issues,' she warned. 'To bypass Letterkenny again is not only medically indefensible, it's a direct hit on patient safety and regional equality.' Letterkenny is often among the most overcrowded hospitals in the country as recorded by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. The hubs are seen as a central part of plans to tackle overcrowding. Each is expected to deliver 10,000 day case surgeries and minor procedures, and 18,500 outpatient consultations every year. Plans by the HSE to instead offer Letterkenny an ambulatory care centre for outpatients are seen by this group of doctors as 'an inadequate substitute lacking ring-fenced funding, staffing plans, or timelines.' Consultant general surgeon Michael Sugrue said: 'We need real surgical infrastructure, not vague promises'. He warned of the long-term impact for recruitment at Letterkenny University Hospital. Without adequate surgical resources, we simply cannot attract or retain the consultants we need. "This decision risks the future of general surgery in Donegal and the long-term viability of LUH as a Model 3 hospital,' he said. They called for an evidence-based review of the HSE's plans to locate the hub in Sligo. In April HSE regional executive officer Tony Canavan said a proposal to build a surgical hub linked to Sligo hospital has been submitted. "We've identified a site for it that will be considered by the HSE senior leadership team in mid-May and then to the board of the HSE at the end of May,' he told RTÉ News.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Quarter of Irish people intend to include charities in will, survey finds
One in four Irish people intend to leave something to charity in their will, according to new research from the Charities Regulator . Small, local charities may benefit the most from those gifts, given they generate the highest level of trust among 1,000 Irish adults who were surveyed as part of the research. Half of the respondents to the regulator's online survey, conducted last December, said they donate to local charities, marking a significant increase since 2022. Trust in larger, international charities has declined the most in that time. There are 11,500 registered charities in Ireland. Those that received the most support over the last year were medical or health-related causes (39 per cent), homeless or refuge services (34 per cent), and local community organisations (31 per cent). Having a personal connection or interest in a particular issue or charity is the most significant factor influencing people who choose to donate. Seventy-one per cent of respondents believe trust and confidence in a charity is very important if they are to donate, down from 80 per cent who felt this in 2022. About a quarter of those surveyed admitted their confidence in charities has decreased, though this is less than the 37 per cent who said the same three years ago. READ MORE Almost two-thirds of respondents said their trust and confidence in charities are unchanged. An Garda Síochána and doctors are the only peer groupings that instil more trust and confidence in the public. Still, there is strong support for greater transparency around where donated money goes. There was a significant increase in the number of people with concerns around how much charities spend on administration. Respondents said they want more evidence of what charities have achieved and more information made available on their accounts. Two in five said they want to increase the amount of money they give to charity, while 18 per cent of those surveyed reported donating their time to charity. Given the perception of what constitutes a charitable donation, some people may not be fully aware that they are contributing to various causes. Madeleine Delaney, chief executive of the Charities Regulator, said the research shows 'continued solid' support for Ireland's charity sector, but 'with an important caveat that charities need to be more transparent about their income and how they are spending it to increase public trust and confidence'. She said the Register of Charities has a record of every charity in Ireland, with an overview of their finances and the activities they undertake. She encouraged people who donate or are considering donating to find out more about the charity on the register, which can be found at .
