Noteworthy

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PARKING PRESSURE: Why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?

Ireland

Patients, visitors, and staff of Irish hospitals are forking out over €60,000 every day to park at hospitals around the country. In 2017, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.

1 Backer raised €10 of €1400

Open

SELLING OUR GENES: Should the Government be funding a private company to collect 400,000 Irish people’s DNA?

Ireland

Personal data is big business - and nothing is more personal than our genetic blueprint.

3 Backers raised €25 of €2300

Open

RISK TO BABY: Why were Irish women not told for decades about an epilepsy drug that causes birth defects?

Ireland

Sodium valproate is an epilepsy medicine commonly sold under the name Epilim. It was known since its availability in the 1970s that it may cause birth defects if used in pregnancy yet for decades many women across the world were prescribed this drug without being warned of this risk by their doctors.

1 Backer raised €30 of €1500

Open

PATH OF UNCERTAINTY: How has JobPath impacted the mental health of Ireland’s unemployed?

Ireland

Minister Regina Doherty has called it “the most successful [jobs] activation programme” in the history of the state.

3 Backers raised €20 of €750

Open

ADDICTION BY PRESCRIPTION: Why are so many anti-anxiety medications prescribed in Ireland?

Ireland

In September, the Irish Medical Council warned doctors about over-prescribing of a range of highly addictive drugs.

1 Backer raised €40 of €1450

Open

LAST RESORT: Why can't Irish hospitals get the most dangerous superbug under control?

Ireland

A public health emergency was declared by the Health Minister Simon Harris over years ago to control the spread of a superbug, CPE, resistant to the most powerful last-resort antibiotics. In spite of this, the number of patients with the bug has continuously increased.

0 Backers raised €0 of €1050

Open

VAPING NATION: Are teenagers being targeted by the vaping industry in Ireland?

Ireland

Although a relatively new phenomenon, almost 200,000 Irish people regularly vape with another 600,000 having tried an e-cigarette at some stage. Globally, the number of adults who vape is expected to reach almost 55 million by 2021.

0 Backers raised €0 of €2250

Open

SCALES OF JUSTICE: Does the justice system work for wards of court?

Ireland

When a person is deemed incapable of making decisions for themselves, they can be made a ‘ward of court’.

2 Backers raised €150 of €1150

Open

POSTCODE LOTTERY: Does where you live in Ireland determine what kind of healthcare you receive?

Ireland

Access to healthcare in Ireland can vary depending on where in the country you live. Local HSE and hospital budgets often determine whether people have access to medical treatment, equipment and other specialist services.

1 Backer raised €100 of €1900

Open

FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?

Ireland

Around one in four couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.

4 Backers raised €160 of €950

Open

A BITTER PILL: Why are medicines so expensive in Ireland and how much are we paying for them compared to our EU neighbours?

Ireland

The Government spends almost €3 billion on medicines every year which makes up 13% of the entire health budget.

2 Backers raised €40 of €1350

Open

SOMETHING IN THE AIR: Why is the air we breathe in Ireland getting more polluted?

Ireland

In the 1980s, Dublin choked beneath a cloud of smog with pollution seven times higher than the levels considered dangerous by the World Health Organisation. As smoky fuel began to be phased out, the black pall lifted and the city’s air returned to some semblance of normality.

5 Backers raised €100 of €1350

Open

SPEAK OR SURVIVE? Are survivors of sexual abuse properly supported when they come forward?

National

At least one in four people experience sexual abuse in childhood. About 80 per cent are abused by a person known to them; most often, a family member.

16 Backers raised €548 of €2150

Open

PARENT RIGHTS: Why are same-sex couples and other parents still in legal limbo with their own children?

Ireland

Half a decade after Ireland’s historic marriage equality vote, many same-sex couples and so-called ‘non-traditional families’ still face discrimination when it comes to their rights as parents.

12 Backers raised €430 of €750

Completed

PRICE OF BEAUTY: Are people taking a risk when they opt for dermal fillers?

National

Dermal fillers have become one of the treatments of choice for people in Ireland wanting to rid themselves of wrinkles.

1 Backer raised €900 of €900

Open

OFF OUR TROLLEYS: Why does Ireland seem to get such poor value for the money it spends on healthcare?

National

Ireland’s hospitals and health system are plagued by long waiting lists and poor patient outcomes, even though we are told we spend more for healthcare per person than the vast majority of countries.

9 Backers raised €151 of €1750

Completed

FOLLOWING THE HERD: Why are Meningitis C vaccination rates so far behind target in parts of Ireland?

National

For many parents, the word meningitis is enough to send shivers down their spine.

2 Backers raised €353 of €350

Completed

LATE INTERVENTION: Why does it take over two years to get early intervention appointments for some children?

Ireland

Across the country, there are thousands of young children in need of early intervention.

9 Backers raised €1100 of €1100

Completed

PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: The mental health crisis in the Defence Forces.

National

Almost a year ago, the only psychiatrist working in the Defence Forces retired from his post.

2 Backers raised €252 of €250