HEALTH minister Robin Swann yesterday launched an all-Ireland charity initiative to raise money for those most affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
ICU doctors, nurses and staff across the island of Ireland will take part in the 'ICU 4 U Cycle' to Dublin to help raise funds for several organisations.
The Belfast leg of the event begins today, while cyclists from four other locations - Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford - started yesterday, with all participants set to finish at Phoenix Park in Dublin later today.
A smaller group will then cycle through central Dublin to the College of Anaesthesiology of Ireland, the home of both the Intensive Care Society of Ireland and the joint faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland.
Another small group will cycle on to the Mater Hospital in Dublin, where the most severely ill ICU patients have been treated.
The four charities set to benefit from the fundraising are Alone (older people), Breakthrough Cancer Research (new cancer treatments), Aware (mental health) and ICUsteps (ICU patient aftercare support).
Mr Swann said: "I am very grateful to our outstanding ICU teams who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to look after our most seriously ill patients.
"Despite working through one of the most challenging periods ever faced by our health service the ICU 4 U team has recognised the far-reaching impact of Covid-19 and are embarking on a new challenge which will support people right across society."
Consultant intensivist Dr Brian McCloskey, captain of the Belfast Cycle, said:
"The impact of Covid-19 reaches far beyond the ICU, and we are only beginning to see the secondary challenges, in particular with the elderly, those in nursing homes, those experiencing anxiety and mental illness, Covid-19 ICU survivors, and cancer patients who are particularly vulnerable to the virus, have had their diagnosis delayed, and urgently need new treatments."
