President Mary McAleese paid tribute to the staff at Dublin
Mater’s hospital at an event to mark the launch of its 150th anniversary
celebrations.
Mrs McAleese said the Catholic teaching hospital,
which is part owned and operated by the Sisters of Mercy order, was a
byword for a particular kind of healthcare excellence which was
underpinned by a “clear charism”.
She told staff the hospital's
foundations were not the bricks and mortar of the building but the
enduring values of love and compassion for “suffering humanity”.
“The hospital is the very embodiment of all that is good, selfless, decent and kind about Ireland,” she said.
“This
simple site made its own history of care no matter what the times,
tides, economic fortunes or misfortunes. It has always kept its focus on
the thing that does not change, the need the sick have for help.”
The
hospital is planning a series of events later this year, including a
street party at its Eccles Street location in June, to mark the
anniversary.
Cardiac surgery in the Republic was pioneered in the
Mater during the 1950's where the first successful heart operation was
performed.
This led to the formation of the National Cardiac
Surgery Unit in the 197Os which provided open heart surgery for patients
in the State.
Renowned heart surgeon and Irish Times
columnist Maurice Neligan, who died last year, performed the first
coronary bypass graft at the unit in 1975.
The Republic’s first heart
transplant operation was carried out at the hospital in 1985.
Construction
of the new national children's hospital, which will merge the three
children's hospitals - Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght - on the
Eccles Street campus, is due to start later this year, and to be
completed by 2015.
SIC: IT/IE