TOUCHSTONE ADDRESS: Fergus Hoban, managing director of Touchstone, the company developing a number of primary care centres throughout the Republic, will address the GP section of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland tonight at 8pm in the Postgraduate Centre, Education Centre, at Tallaght Hospital. He will outline the philosophy behind the Touchstone concept and the contribution he thinks it will make towards healthcare in the community. Entrance is free and all are welcome.
HIV COUNSELLING: Voluntary HIV counselling and testing has been accepted practice for more than 10 years. However, uptake has been poor, even among those at high risk, resulting in late diagnosis. Doctors writing in the latest edition of the British Medical Journal feel that HIV testing should be more widely accepted. Just as those at risk of cancer do not receive voluntary counselling and testing before having a chest X-ray, they argue that suspected HIV sufferers should not have to undergo pre-test counselling. The current criteria, they say, may be contributing to late diagnoses and a resultant spread of infection.
BREASTFEEDING RIGHTS: Guidelines for employers and employees on how breastfeeding at work can be facilitated are available in a new booklet from the Health Promotion Unit. The Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 states that breastfeeding mothers are entitled to paid time off for breastfeeding or expressing breast milk in the workplace where facilities are provided. If facilities are not provided, the working mother is entitled to a reduction in working hours (on full pay) to facilitate breastfeeding. "Breastfeeding benefits employers by reducing employee absenteeism, increasing productivity, improving staff morale and providing a positive corporate image," said Maureen Fallon, the national breastfeeding co-ordinator. Research shows that babies breastfed in early childhood have health advantages that last long after breastfeeding has stopped.
ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS: The Endometriosis Association of Ireland is hosting an awareness day on Saturday between 2pm and 6pm at the Great Southern Hotel, Dublin Airport. Speakers include gynaecologist Dr Martine Millet-Johnston and Helen Browne, chairperson of the National Infertility Support Group. A painful condition, endometriosis occurs when the lining of the womb (endometrium) scatters and grows in other organs in the body. The Endometriosis Association of Ireland, tel: 01 8735702.
Lifelines@irish-times.ie
Lifelines is compiled by Dr Muiris Houston and Sylvia Thompson