THE Minister of State for Health, Mr Brian O'Shea, admitted he refused to launch a video on strokes because of a 14 second voice over which mentioned "seemingly endless waiting lists.
The video, Understanding Stroke, is aimed at informing the public about early warning signs and how strokes are treated.
But in a section on the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire, the video, published by the Volunteer Stroke Scheme (VSS), includes the sentence: "Sadly, the centre is the only one of its kind in Ireland and cannot possibly hope to provide for the countless victims of stroke who need this kind of rehabilitation urgently but who must instead be placed on a seemingly endless waiting list."
This remark, according to a statement from Mr O'Shea's office, amounts to a reference "to the perceived inadequate level of current services, which is essentially a lobbying issue. In the circumstances, Minister O'Shea did not consider it appropriate to attend".
Ms Anne Copeland, chairwoman of the VSS, said she would be inviting Mr O'Shea to visit its stroke club in Coolock, Dublin, so the members could present him with a gift they made for him.
In his statement, Mr O'Shea praised the "good work" of the VSS and said he would be "willing to meet with them on an appropriate occasion in the future".