Irish Society of Public Health Medicine

Our Activities

Launch: 

ISSPHM held a formal launch on Thursday December 16th, 2021 with national and international public health experts including Prof. Duncan Selbie, founding CEO of Public Health England, Gerard Schmets, Deputy Director of Primary Care Special Programmes, WHO HQ, Dr. Jeanelle de Gruchy, former President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, UK, Professor Emer Shelley, former Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Ireland and Dr. Ina Kelly, President of the Irish Medical Organisation.  

Position papers:

Here you can find a list of our current position papers with links to the documents. 

The ISSPHM launched our first position paper, on pandemic preparedness, "For Better Pandemic Preparedness Now and into the Future", at our formal launch on December 16th, 2021. 

Our second position paper "Treat Climate Change like the Public Health Emergency it is"  was launched to coincide with the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2022.

Webinars:

Clinical Indemnity for Public Health Doctors-May 16, 2023

The PHREAG report and it's implications for public health in Ireland-October 17, 2023

Statements, letters, campaigns and interviews:

Here you can find a list of topics on which we have published statements, letters to the editor of various papers and interviews with links to relevant content:

• Judicial review support for Minister of Health licensing fee for tobacco sellers
  • The Irish Society of Public Health Medicine welcomes the judgement of Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy supporting the Minister for Health in implementing licensing fees for retailers selling tobacco and other nicotine containing products such as liquid for vaping. In rejecting the case against this licensing this High Court Judicial Review recognises the legitimate purpose of this licensing to decrease the availability of tobacco and other nicotine through reduced density of retail supply. The judgement also cites evidence for density of supply being a risk for both initiation of tobacco use among young people and relapse following smoking cessation, and notes that the levels of license fees could rise in future years to achieve a purpose of reducing the proportion of retailers choosing to sell tobacco. The Society fully supports the Minister for Health in using tools that focus on reducing profits from supplying tobacco as an area for policy in controlling the enormous health harms from tobacco in Ireland.”

• Migrant Health

  • The ISSPHM released a statement on Migrant Health within the context of the evolving Ukrainian crisis on April 28, 2022 in which we called for a coherent and inter-departmental Migrant Health Programme.  This was followed by letters to the editor of the Irish Times on  June 23, 2022  and July 5,2022 and an interview on Today with Claire Byrne on July 19th 

• Child Health
  • On July 5th, 2022 ISSPHM published a letter to the editor of the Irish Times in support of a letter from the Irish Heart Foundation in relation to marketing of junk food to children.
  • ISSPHM Statement on the potential harms of social media on children and adolescents August 2024 and associated article in the Medical Independent on September 10th, 2024
• Evolving Health and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
  • ISSPHM were co-signatories to a letter sent to the Taoiseach in October 2023 calling for urgent action on the health and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.   
  • ISSPHM sent a letter to the Tánaiste on February 2nd 2024 urging the Irish government to do more to prevent the public health and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  
  • ISSPHM sent follow up letters to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport urging our government to:
    • Continue to use all diplomatic and political channels available to push for a permanent ceasefire and for unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian responses through well
      tested humanitarian aid channels. This is the only path to stopping further deaths and catastrophic human suffering.
    • Advocate for large scale EU economic sanctions on the state of Israel.
    • Abandon the recently adopted IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. Although the fight against anti-Semitism is necessary and important, the current IHRA definition puts healthcare
      professionals advocating for the preservation and dignity of human life and health care systems in Gaza at risk.
    • Cease immediately to issue licenses for the export of dual use goods to Israel.
    • Ensure that procurement policies across all government departments are aligned with human rights/ International Court of Justice ruling perspectives.
    • Ensure no arms pass through or over our sovereign territory.
    • Commit financial support to the rebuilding of the health, water and sanitation infrastructure of Gaza.

• Humanitarian crisis in Sudan

  • ISSPHM sent a letter including the petition: Healthcare Workers United for Sudan, to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste on September 10, 2024 asking Ireland to direct attention and resources to this forgotten crisis.
    
    

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