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Health Inequalities on the Island of Ireland - an Agenda for Change!

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Health Inequalities on the Island of Ireland - an Agenda for Change! Report of the conference on "Creating connections": health inqualities on the island of Ireland - an agenda for change! Item Type Report Authors Public Health Alliance Ireland (PHAI) Rights PHAI Download date 02/10/2021 01:15:44 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10147/45051 Find this and similar works at - http://www.lenus.ie/hse Report of the conference on “Creating Connections” Health inequalities on the island of Ireland - an agenda for change! Maynooth, November 2004 CREATING CONNECTIONS Perspectives on Health Inequalities on the island of Ireland Organising and Editorial Committee: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thomas Quigley Chair The Public Health Alliance Ireland (PHAI) and the (safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board) Northern Ireland Public Health Alliance (NIPHA) in association with the Institute of Public Health in Ireland Monica-Anne Brennan (IPHI) would like to thank the organising committee for (Public Health Alliance Ireland) their work in organising the conference from which these perspectives are derived and for their assistance Majella McCloskey in editing this report. Special thanks to the chairs of (Association of Chief Officers of Voluntary the conference sessions: Owen Metcalfe, Brigid Quirke, Organisations NI) Majella McCloskey, Martin Higgins, Thomas Quigley and Diarmuid O’Donovan. Gary McFarlane (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health NI) The Alliances acknowledge the financial support received for the Creating Connections Conference and Aisling O’Connor this publication from the following: (Institute of Public Health in Ireland) Diarmuid O’Donovan (Health Service Executive- Western Area) Mary O’Meara (safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board) Brigid Quirke (Pavee Point, Travellers Centre) Jorun Rugkåsa (Institute of Public Health in Ireland) Contents Foreword Thomas Quigley 1 Executive Summary 3 Introduction Gary McFarlane 7 Global Inequality and Health Mary Robinson 9 Tackling Inequalities in Health: An Island Perspective Jane Wilde 15 A Vision for Community Health Seamas Heaney 19 Support group for victims of Hepatitis C Positive Action 23 Advocating for Health Ron Labonte 27 Sustainable Development, Health Agendas and Political Mobilisation Charles Secrett 33 A day in the Life of a Traveller Woman Pavee Point 37 The Inequality Challenge Sir Donald Acheson 41 The Wanless Report - Future Implications David Hunter 45 CREATING CONNECTIONS Perspectives on Health Inequalities on the island of Ireland Foreword Thomas Quigley, Chair, Public Health Alliance Ireland CREATING CONNECTIONS Perspectives on Health Inequalities on the island of Ireland This report is a very important resource for all those currently advocating for health on the island of Ireland. It includes many descriptions of continuing health inequality on the island of Ireland. This inequality impacts dramatically on both the lifespan and the quality of life of various sections of our population. Addressing such inequity is at the core of public health. There is an urgent need to act since the island of Ireland has, shamefully, one of the most unequal societies in Europe. The perspectives in this report arise out of a conference held at the end of 2004 and organised by the Public Health Alliances on the island of Ireland, north and south. In organising this Creating Connections conference we were aware that many people at community, national and global levels have long been involved in tackling health inequalities. We wanted to hear their voices, learn from them and support them in their attempts to be heeded. In this report these international and national leaders give advice and suggest strategies on how to tackle inequity in health. A recurring theme is the need to build effective coalitions between community-based groups and agencies working at both local and national level. Such coalitions lobbying for the right to health can effect change. The Creating Connections conference has gone a long way in creating such a network of individuals and organisations who share a common interest in building a healthier, more just and equitable society. The papers presented here by passionate and engaged people shout out at us to strengthen our resolve to continue building networks and to act. Advocating to redress the health imbalances on this island is the only appropriate response to this report. What these leaders show us is that there is no distinction between being a health professional and being a social activist. We must ensure that the facts and personal stories about health inequality are heard. We need to work to ensure that communities are recognised as a powerful force for change and we need to facilitate them to communicate the obstacles that they encounter in tackling the root causes of health inequality and in meeting the different health needs of their communities. I hope you find these perspectives from the Creating Connections conference stimulating and that it leads to further debate. It should also motivate us to action so that subsequent conferences can be concerned with applauding the progress we have made in addressing the unacceptable inequalities that persist on this island. Thomas Quigley Chair, Public Health Alliance Ireland 2 Executive Summary CREATING CONNECTIONS Perspectives on Health Inequalities on the island of Ireland Gary McFarlane, Chairman of NIPHA opened the Jane Wilde highlights how health inequality in our conference by drawing attention to the fact that this society is linked to socio-economic status. In Ireland joint conference of the Northern Ireland Public mortality in the lowest occupational group is 100- Health Alliance and the Public Health Alliance of 200% higher than in the highest occupational group. Ireland goes a long way to developing a strong There is also an inequality ‘gradient’ right across network. This network of individuals and society, both in the north and the south of Ireland organisations share the common interest of building resulting in one of the most unequal societies in a healthier, more just and equitable society across Western Europe. She calls for much more advocacy the island of Ireland. He outlines that it is important to ensure that action on these issues is firmly on the to persuade those in power that inequality in our political and public service agenda. She notes that the society is shameful, morally detestable, and two Alliances have a central role to play in achieving unacceptable and needs to be changed. this. Mary Robinson of the Ethical Globalization Initiative Jane Wilde sums up by voicing the enormous (EGI) draws on her international experience to potential for north-south cooperation to tackle the highlight peoples’ right to health. She emphasises public health challenges in contemporary Ireland. She that the scale, persistence and consequences of expresses her belief that the cooperation between the extreme poverty are a blunt reminder of an two Alliances was one of the most important international obligation until now ignored by nations. initiatives for public health on the island. She explains that her work with ‘Realizing Rights: Seamas Heaney, the director of The Old Library Trust, The Ethical Globalization Initiative’ has two key Northern Ireland, presents on ‘A Vision for aims. First, that everyone in the world must realise Community Health’ and discusses the community that they have human rights and are ‘born free and approach to public health. He highlights how the equal in dignity and rights’. Secondly, that those in provision of health services has changed from where, power should understand they need to create an in early societies, the whole community was enabling environment to ensure that those rights are involved, to one where the process became realised. medicalised and resulted in men in white coats becoming the only experts in health knowledge. To pursue the realisation of these rights EGI focus Speaking about his experience with the Cregan on trade and development; migration; and the right Health Information Programme and the development to health. In this last area the global focus is of their healthy living centre – he explains that it was particularly on HIV and AIDS and within this how to only by working in partnership and by engaging protect the women who are now the most people at the community level that they could vulnerable. She describes how it is possible to actually begin to make inroads into the issues that are engage industry in addressing inequity and gives the affecting them on a day-to-day basis and tackling the example of her work with a group of pharmaceutical root causes of ill health. companies to frame a corporate responsibility for them around the right to health. Seamas Heaney points to the examples of the North Karelia project in Finland and the Vermont model in Finally, Mary Robinson addresses the issue of public the United States, where the solutions to health health in a changing Ireland: of health being a right, problems are community-based. Users, communities, not a privilege; of the necessity to understand the local people and neighbourhoods are all involved in needs of all, especially immigrant and minority the discussions, the decisions about what would populations; of health professionals needing to happen, the trials that are run and the programmes communicate any obstacles they are finding in that are introduced. This approach has major benefits meeting the health needs of different groups; and because it immediately addresses peoples’ current the need to look at root causes of the problem of the concerns, and promotes engagement. Everyone, massive overburdening of the Accident and including service providers, is an end-user, and Emergency departments in hospitals. everyone needs to be in it together. Focusing on the island of Ireland Jane Wilde, the He explains how this ‘common purpose model’ means Director of the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, that we look at the strategic direction we all want to speaks on tackling inequalities in health. Describing move in, and then ensure that all of the strategies how tackling health inequalities is at the core of address how they are contributing to achieving those public health she concentrates on two themes: what outcomes.
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