NEWS BRIEFING:ALCOHOL ACTION Ireland has backed the World Health Organisation's strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. The global strategy was adopted by consensus at the annual assembly of the WHO last week.
Health ministers around the world have agreed to try to curb binge drinking and other growing forms of excessive alcohol use through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations. The recommendations, drawn up after two years of debate, are not binding but serve as guidance to WHO’s 193 member states.
Alcohol Action Ireland director Fiona Ryan said: “This is an important step that recognises the impact of alcohol-related harms and provides a strategy for tackling them. Ireland is unfortunately familiar with all forms of alcohol-related harm and pays a heavy price for that familiarity.” One of the key elements of the strategy is reducing the population’s exposure to alcohol marketing, particularly amony young people.
The WHO estimates that risks linked to alcohol cause 2.5 million deaths a year from heart and liver disease, road accidents, suicides and various cancers – 3.8 per cent of all deaths. It is the third leading risk factor for premature deaths and disabilities worldwide.
“Alcohol contributes to accidents, mental health problems, social problems and harms third parties,” said Bernt Bull, a senior advisor in Norway’s health ministry. Nordic countries spearheaded the initiative at the United Nations agency. A relatively high excise tax on alcoholic beverages and regulations limiting their availability was helping to reduce alcohol-related diseases in Norway, he said.
New hip joint's Mayo test to be relayed live to Rome
A SURGEON in Mayo will have an unusually large audience tomorrow morning as he carries out a total hip replacement procedure.
At Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, orthopaedic surgeon Derek Bennett will implant an artificial hip joint designed to create a bond with the patient’s leg bone, and the operation will be beamed live to a conference of hip surgeons gathered in Rome.
Last year, Mr Bennett became the first surgeon in Europe to use the cement-free Tri-Lock Bone Preservation Stem implant, and he has since put in almost 100 more of the artificial hips in Castlebar and the Galway Clinic, where he is also based.
He said the implant could be precisely matched to the patient’s own anatomy for a more natural range of movement and stability.
“The advantage of this technique is that it allows for a smaller incision and less tissue disruption compared with the traditional total hip replacement,” he said.
The artificial joint’s stem has a titanium coating that has been engineered to have the same porous structure as the normal upper leg bone to which it is attached during the hip replacement procedure. “This allows the bone to grow into the implant, creating a permanent biological bond,” said Mr Bennett.
The conference in Italy is sponsored by DePuy, the manufacturer of the artificial joint, and the audience for tomorrow’s operation will be able to communicate with Mr Bennett about the procedure in Castlebar.
HSF starts 24-hour GP advice line
THE HOSPITAL Saturday Fund (HSF) has launched a new 24-hour GP telephone advice line. HSF said one-third of the calls to its pilot service were made outside normal surgery hours and a significant proportion (27 per cent) concerned children. HSF members in Ireland also have access to advice services providing medical information, stress counselling and legal advice.
Pictured above at the launch of the service are Shane O’Reilly (6), from Cavan (right), and his brother, Gary (7).
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