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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 29 July 2022
kilkennyobserver.ie
Opinion
As I See It Marianne Heron
Refugee chaos: a better welcome is needed Having been Ireland of the Welcomes for Ukrainian refugees arriving here, the current reality is now like a modern Nativity story despite public goodwill. There is no room at the inn. A situation where the latest 250 arrivals in the ongoing low of 41,000 refugees to date, had to be stabled at Dublin airport on airbeds or the floor is unacceptable. Earlier, there was a delay in providing temporary tented accommodation at Gormanstown army base in Co Meath. Third level accommodation for refugees is about to dry up and numbers seeking asylum from other countries has already doubled to 6,500 this year. The situation is chaotic. It’s the kind of mess that results when individuals and volunteers try their best but are thwarted
through lack of an overall management plan and strangled by bureaucratic red tape. Accommodation offered by individuals has fallen far short of the original number promised, with the system under the Red Cross for contacting and vetting accommodation simply not working. Of the vacant homes offered 79 % were withdrawn, unsuitable or the owners couldn’t be contacted. Similarly, 74% of offers of shared accommodation didn’t work out. Other have made informal arrangements with refugees, avoiding delays involved in official channels. The Garda vetting system for homeowners offering accommodation for Ukrainians with children – which already involves long delays for locals – is another bottleneck resulting in the loss of 5000
homes on offer. Does this form filling system where householders have to supply every address they have lived at really work as a form of protection? Surely a more streamlined checking system could be found? The Taoiseach has urged ministers “to put their shoulders to the wheel” to resolve the crisis, but the result is likely to be more of the same piecemeal approach. The brutal war in Ukraine is not going to be short lived and the flow of refugees is going to continue. It should clear, despite the best efforts of ministers and departments involved, that a dedicated task force or agency is needed to deal with not only with the crisis but the long-term refugee situation. Above all it needs a fresh approach to sourcing accommodation, both those offered by the public s with
Phelan welcomes signing of legislation to abolish in-patient charges for children Fine Gael TD, John Paul Phelan, has welcomed the signing into law by President Michael D. Higgins of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Act 2022. Once commenced, the Act will provide for the abolition of both overnight and day case public in-patient charges for children less than 16 years of age in all public hospitals and also provides for the introduction of a free contraception scheme for women aged 17-25. “The two measures are scheduled to come into operation by early September this year. I welcome the good news that the President has signed this very important Act, as the measures provided in this legislation are very much intended to support access to care for those who need it in a manner that is fair and affordable. “Abolishing acute in-patient hospital charges for chil-
dren under 16 is focused towards easing the financial burden of parents or guardians when bringing their child to hospital for in-patient care. “Given that the costs of prescription contraception are typically faced by women, the scheme will impact positively on gender equity, reducing costs for women, but also benefiting their partners and families, starting with women aged 17-25. “In the context of current cost-ofliving challenges,
I am delighted the Government is able to introduce these two significant measures aimed at alleviating cost pressures for individuals and families when seeking to access healthcare.”
a streamlined contact and vetting process and new options which could be used. Contracts could be offered to holiday home owner, as there are 1,000s or large vacant buildings and homes, near empty convents or monasteries, and then the option of modular homes (why aren’t we using these to solve the native housing crisis ?) The agency would need overall responsibility for the care refugees and the authority to co-ordinate the efforts of volunteers. There are 65 organisation under the umbrella of the Ukraine Civil Society Forum alone. What we have at present – with the notable exception of the Department of Education which has worked wonders in getting Ukrainian kids into school – is a chaotic despite all the vol-
untary effort and goodwill. An 80% majority of Ukrainians here are women with children, many want to work and earn in order to integrate more fully but they face a language barrier and have child care needs. While there are volunteer
‘Despite goodwill, there’s no room at the inn..
efforts why not open group evening classes in schools or allow Ukrainians to offer childminding? Some women are highly qualified – this in a country with skill shortages – but their qualifications aren’t recognised so they end up in menial part- time jobs. Why can’t we have an enabling and imaginative approach instead of nay saying rules? Many of the Ukrainians we are hosting will eventually return home but some will stay, joined by partners and enrich our society. Others seeking asylum from different countries are more likely to stay, but they enter the direct provision system although a majority here agree they should be treated equally. It’s not enough to open the door, the Government need to make it easier for refugees to integrate and join our society.
Can Omega 3 change the way you think, feel and age? CLAIR WHITTY
Wild Atlantic Health, an Irish company down in Cork, has developed a number of innovative home health tests to measure nutritional deficiencies. They’re a passionate bunch of people who feel that preventive health is the future. Knowing your Omega-3 Index identifies the underlying level of silent inflammation in your body and is more informative than a standard cholesterol test. The Omega 3 Index measures the % of Omega 3 in your red blood cells. Lower than 4% is the danger zone and 8-12% is the
optimal level. Levels higher than 8% help maintain heart, brain, eye and joint health and reduce the risk of cognitive and cardiovascular problems and, amazingly, increase life expectancy by 5 years. That in itself is motivation to take the Test but there would be little point in me telling you about it unless I had done one myself. I got my husband Denis to take the test too. He takes fish oils regularly and eats tins of mackerel a couple of times a week, while I tend to be on and off fish oils. Well, lo and behold, the results came back online. I had naively thought mine would be better than Denis’s, but the proof is in the blood. His result was excellent being in the optimal range at 8.12%.
I was at 5.22%. He is perfect! I was in the ‘you need to work on this’ and probably won’t live this down. Now that I have a starting point, I will re-test in four months to see if taking fish oils regularly and eating more oily fish helps improve my numbers. I will let you know how I get on. You can get omega 3 from plant sources too, but your body has to convert it into active EPA and DHA. The Test requires a simple finger prick and a sample of blood is dropped onto a collection card. The card is registered online and put into a prepaid envelope and posted to the lab. Within 2 weeks you’ll receive an email with your results and recommendations. I will be on the radio soon talking about testing. We have invited Wild Atlantic into our stores to tell you more about these exciting products and to answer all your questions. You can find out more details on our website www.naturalhealthstore.ie. Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these brands. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@naturalhealthstore.ie
