What ME Patients Wanted: “Don’t import psychiatric mismanagement of ME into Northern Ireland” they asked.
What ME Patients Got: Mr Jim Wells, the Health Minister-elect told them: “We are the converted. ME is NOT a psychiatric disorder”.
Antoinette Christie and the group she chairs, ME Support Northern Ireland, arranged an amazing event at Stormont on Feb 18th with a screening of “Voices” and a presentation by Horace Reid. There was a good attendance of MLAs – Sue Ramsey: West Belfast, Samuel Gardiner:Upper Bann, Kieran McCarthy: Strangford, Roy Beggs:East Antrim, Jo-Anne Dobson:Upper Bann. Jim Wells deplored antiquated attitudes to the illness held by some doctors and congratulated the committees of MESNI and NEWry & Mourne ME/FM for their efforts to improve ME service within the NHS and promised his continuing support. Alderman William Leathem who is Mayor of Lisburn City Council also attended.
“The Long Gallery was completely silent for the one hour duration of the film. MLAs stayed for the entire viewing, and a number of patients were in tears much of the time. There was a feeling that this breakthrough documentary should be shown far and wide, among the patient constituency and beyond it.” – from the MESNI Newsletter
A very fine newsletter about the event – produced by MESNI and Horace Reid – can be viewed here on the oneagleswings.me.uk website.
A copy of the brochure can be downloaded here.