Ireland's first school of podiatry will be set up at NUI Galway, it has been announced. The Republic's first undergraduate degree programme in podiatry, or the study of foot health, starts next year and will address an under-serviced area of healthcare, said NUI Galway's deputy president, Prof Jim Browne.
"There are very few podiatrists employed in the public health service, and there is a big need for podiatry here," he said, while also noting that many foot problems arise from conditions such as diabetes, where impaired circulation affects the toes and feet.
The university's existing research expertise in diabetes and its links with podiatrists in HSE West made NUI Galway a "good fit" for hosting the new school, he added.
In 2005, a Fás report identified a long-term supply shortfall in podiatry and recommended that a degree programme be set up within the State.
Professional bodies also lobbied for undergraduate education through the Joint Council for the Education of Podiatrists in Ireland (JCEPI).
NUI Galway won the contract to host the new school in a competition that was overseen by the Higher Education Authority and evaluated by a panel of international experts.
The university will accept the first 25 students on the four-year bachelor of science course in September 2008, and podiatry education will be administered as part of the existing school of therapies, which offers programmes in speech and language and occupational therapies.
A podiatry clinic will also be set up in the Merlin Park campus of Galway Regional Hospital. "Podiatrists in the hospitals here were very keen to work with us, and with any of these clinical programmes you must have a significant amount of student time spent in professional activity," said Prof Browne.
Having a school in the State will address many educational and clinical needs in podiatry here, according to anatomist and physician Dr Jason Last, who chairs JCEPI.
"There aren't enough podiatrists and people have had to go to the UK for their training because there hasn't been an undergraduate course," he said.
Welcoming the news that such a course may be available here soon, he echoed the need for podiatry services. "Most people would wonder how important foot health is.
"But if you don't have your foot health then you probably don't have your mobility, and immobility leads to quite a lot of other conditions," he said.
"Also when you think about the huge diabetic population in Ireland, all diabetics need expert foot health advice and care."
