The South Eastern Health Board is now required by law to publish reports annually on its activities.

To this end, the Board publishes a number of documents, viz, a general report, its annual accounts, and a specific report on child care services.

The Board also established a department of public health, whose function it is to monitor and report on the health status of the population of the region and to advise on the appropriate response to be adopted to the problems revealed.

This report herewith, compiled by Dr. Orlaith O'Reilly, Director of Public Health and her staff, for the year 1997, sets out the Board's main concerns in relation to the health status and problems of the Region's population.

The problems identified in the report will now be taken up by the Board and shaped into proposals for action by either the development or re-direction of existing services or the introduction of new services. They will then be prioritised by the Board and submitted, where appropriate, for approval and funding by the Department of Health.

Progress on the implementation of any solutions agreed upon will obviously depend on the extent to which extra funding is necessary and available, having regard to economic development generally in the county and the economic policies approved from time to time by the Government of the day in relation to the health services.

The report sets out the changes in the populations size and general characteristics. It also commences an evaluation of the social and economic factors that can be an important determinant of health. It continues its previous evaluations of major diseases affecting the people or problems that have grown in our awareness during the year because of events or significant changes in patterns of activity.

The Report is an important part of the overall management process of delivering the health services and provides important insights and alerts on how our services are meeting the needs of patients and society generally.

The Board wishes to thank Dr. O'Reilly and her staff of the Public Health Department for this very important and useful contribution to our affairs.