Heart disease and stroke deaths could be cut by 15,000 over five years, says Mary Harney

Up to 15,000 people could be saved from dying from heart disease and stroke over five years if Ireland implemented a properly funded policy to tackle cardiovascular disease, former tánaiste Mary Harney has said.

Pointing to Australia’s plan to cut deaths from heart attacks and stroke by spending almost 9 per cent of the health budget on a five-year policy, Ms Harney said Ireland, proportionately, could reduce deaths by 3,000 from these causes a year – one-third of the total.

The former minister for health was speaking at the launch of a new group, Heart & Stroke Voice Ireland, which is calling for a new national cardiovascular disease (CVD) strategy shaped by the lived experience of patients.

“Very often in Ireland we have a wonderful strategy but we fall down on its implementation,” Ms Harney observed, adding that patient groups can play a vital role in ensuring plans are followed through. Lack of funding can also stymie implementation, she pointed out, though a CVD strategy would ultimately save money.

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With some exceptions, the “patient voice” is not heard in Ireland, she said. “Patients are not organised to a large extent and their voice is only heard when an adverse event occurs.”

Ms Harney called on policymakers to engage with the group and other patient alliances when developing a framework of care, so that the lived experience of patients is at the centre of any policy changes.

“Patient alliances for numerous diseases are common across Europe and play a vital role in providing a platform for the patient experience, which informs policymaking,” Ms Harney said.

[ Would you recognise the symptoms of a stroke? Some day, it could save a life ]

Heidi Kingston told the launch of her experience of having a stroke at the age of 32. “I was in complete shock. I never knew that someone my age could have a stroke. I thought it happened to people older than me,” she said.

While she recovered quickly with no visible side effects after surgery, she told how the experience made her feel confused and alone. She had to pause her studies and her plans to have children. “I just felt different.”

After lengthy rehabilitation, she has resumed her doctorate and is five months pregnant. “I’m the happiest I’ve even been in my life,” she said, while recognising that “recovery is a lifelong journey”.

Heart & Stroke Voice Ireland, which describes itself as a patient- and carer-led alliance, said progress is needed on early detection, timely diagnosis and equitable access to care for patients with CVD.

The disease kills 9,000 people a year and impacts on many others, despite 80 per cent of premature CVD being preventable, it pointed out.

The most recent national CVD strategy expired in 2019 and has not yet been replaced, according to the group, which said there is currently no overall national approach, despite Ireland having the lowest rate of detection of high blood pressure in western Europe.

Wait times for echocardiograms, angiography and other diagnostic services can exceed a year in some hospitals, the group points out. In the UK, patients have a legal right to treatment within 18 weeks and a scan within six weeks, but in Ireland only private hospitals meet this benchmark. Meanwhile, most GPs do not offer direct access to echocardiograms.

The organisation is operating under the auspices of Croí, a heart disease charity based in Galway.