Year of pandemic and tragedies

Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly gives her prognosis on an extremely busy year for the health service.
It was the year when a pandemic hit and most of us survived to tell the tale.
The first news of swine flu flashed up on the news channels on Friday 24 April shortly after 4pm on a sunny afternoon.
The facts were sparse but the reality of what was happening in Mexico was shocking.
It was reported that there had been an ongoing epidemic since March, but it was only recognised as a highly contagious virus several weeks later when it began spreading between people and eventually across borders.
The Mexican government closed most of Mexico City's public and private facilities in an attempt to contain it, but it did spread globally and in June the World Health Organization stopped counting cases and declared a pandemic.
BBC Northern Ireland reported the first local swine flu case on Thursday 14 May.
Within days, the phrase "catch it, bin it, kill it" had become familiar as had the anti-virals, Tamiflu and the warning to "stay at home".
On 20 August, a woman with "underlying health problems" was the first to die from swine flu in Northern Ireland.
To date 13 others including adults and children have died and almost all of them had underlying health problems.
While the word pandemic is frightening, as most of us have experienced, its impact is less dramatic.
The Department of Health, very quickly and efficiently took control of the situation - the information provided at those initial press conferences was very much on a need to know basis.
The vaccination programme was rolled out on 21 October, with health service workers among the first to be vaccinated.
There were demands for children with underlying health problems to be vaccinated sooner, especially when two children from the same special needs school died with the virus.
At that stage, teachers in special schools were not to be included in the programme.
However, after a very public outcry from some school principals, a few days later and in a complete u-turn, the health minister, Michael McGimpsey, announced that staff at such schools would receive the vaccine.
The Department of Health received a lot of criticism for its "knee-jerk" reaction. However, within 48 hours, the policy was adopted by its Scottish counterpart.
For the sixth consecutive week there has been a decrease in the number of cases of swine flu, the number of admissions to hospital and those dying from the virus.
While this is all positive, many politicians and health professionals are questioning whether it was all a lot of hype with the government having to pick up a hefty bill to reassure the public.
In response to this criticism, the health minister said it's a case of damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
Speaking of bills, the minister is constantly crying poverty and at every opportunity putting out the begging bowl on behalf of his department.
There is no doubt, that Northern Ireland's health service is in dire need of a cash injection. But then again so are so many of the other departments. The Health Department is expected to make £700m in efficiency savings.
This will have an impact on attempts to improve services including mental health, any new builds, including a new mother and children's wing at the RVH and the postponement of services including the bowel cancer screening programme until April.
The minister has admitted that paying for swine flu has had an impact on other services.
And the future situation is not looking any brighter. With water charges not being introduced there is a massive shortfall in the executive's budget.
The Department of Health could be looking at having to make an additional £150m in savings.
One lasting image of the year will be Mr McGimpsey's face among the crowd attending a rally against health cuts.
Despite wearing a traditional "workman's cap", it didn't disguise the fact that in some ways he was demonstrating against himself.
Whether his presence will help cushion the blow when those cuts are made in a "I did lend my support to you at the time" type scenario, will all depend on his relationship with the health unions.
According to some members of the assembly's health committee this won't be a problem. The DUP's Iris Robinson has on many occasion alluded to their "cosy relationship" and that one is working on behalf of the other.
Strike warning
Unison's Patricia McKeown gave a sobering message to politicians at Stormont.
"This is the start of something and it will get bigger. But, if we are not listened to, and I say this very clearly on behalf of Unison, the next time we are here it will not be on our own time, it will be on strike," she said.
There have been many other challenges along the way. The regulatory Body the RQIA delivered a few blows of it's own on the cleanliness of hospitals.
All of the local acute hospitals failed in delivering a high standard of cleanliness. Ward F in the Royal Victoria Hospital had to be closed as it failed to reach the minimum compliance level.
On the issue of child protection services the year is ending on a particularly tragic note.
Following the inquest of the McElhill tragedy in Omagh, in which the father of five was found to have set fire to his home killing his partner and children, there came the death of Millie Martin.
Aged 15 months, Millie, who was from Enniskillen, was so badly beaten she died from her injuries.
Millie and her mother Rachel had been seen by a health visitor when Millie was a few months old but according to her mother was not known to social services.
The McElhill family, however, was known to social services and other statutory agencies including the police.
Henry Toner, who carried out a review into the Western Health Trust is to revisit some time in the new year to ensure his 63 recommendations are being properly implemented.
These tragedies, particularly that of little Millie Martin, will undoubtedly spill over into 2010.