MS Ireland today announced they will be bringing the MSunderstood Café to Limerick City on 7th November outside Brown Thomas at from 10-3pm as part of an Irish tour. Following the success of the experiential Café in Dublin earlier this year, the Café has been adapted on a specifically designed bus to provide people in Limerick with a unique insight into what it is like to live with multiple sclerosis (MS).
MS Ireland hopes the MSunderstood Café Roadshow will build on the support created by the pop-up experiential café and highlight the urgent need for improved access to medicine and treatment for the management of MS. Recent research revealed that patients in Ireland have worse access to new and innovative medicines than patients in any other country in Western Europe.
The MSunderstood Café Roadshow is a coffee shop that includes experiential elements such as blurry menus, cumbersome mugs and chairs and uneven floors. All beverages and food for sale will be priced at €1 each with all proceeds going to MS Ireland.
Chief Executive of MS Ireland, Ava Battles said, “MS Ireland are delighted to bring the MSunderstood Café Roadshow to Limerick and show customers the true impact of MS by allowing them to experience just some of the symptoms that those living with the condition manage daily. We believe that by providing this insight we strengthen our message of the importance that people with MS should have access to the right treatment at the right time. Through this roadshow, we aim to raise awareness and hope the people of Limerick will come along and show their support for this important campaign.”
The MSunderstood Café Bus begins its 10-day Irish tour in Galway City on Sunday, 4 November 2018, and will visit Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Cork, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin. MS Ireland invites those in any of the bus tour areas to come on board and experience what it is like to live with MS for just a small portion of their day.
MS Ireland, in partnership with Roche, is calling for change and demanding the Government improves the market access system. People with MS need, expect and deserve quick access to new and effective treatments through a fair and sustainable system. A new website – PatientsDeserveBetter.ie – was launched earlier this year to help those affected by MS demand quick and better access to new medicine. In addition to access to medicines, in the Mid West we are still waiting for clarification on when a Clinical Nurse Specialist for MS will be appointed. Earlier in 2018, we were informed by the HSE that this position would be recruited for by the end of the year. While MS Ireland has sought clarification on a timeline for this essential service to be place we are still unclear.
General Manager, Roche Ireland, Pierre-Alain Delley added: “Following the success of MSunderstood Café, Roche and MS Ireland felt it was important to broaden the campaign via a roadshow to raise greater awareness of the impact of the disease. People with MS deserve quick access to medicine and by working together with MS Ireland and with the support of the public we can improve the current access system and ensure patients in Ireland receive the treatment they need, when the need it.
Follow #MSunderstood and for more information visit www.ms-society.ie and www.PatientsDeserveBetter.ie.
