Obituary: Andrew Dougal, pioneer of public health whose dedicated advocacy lengthened many lives in Northern Ireland

The organisation he led was established in 1946 to help bring about a Northern Ireland that is free from chest, heart and stroke illnesses. Almost 90pc of its funding comes from public donations.

Dougal served as CEO from 1983 to 2015 — and a tribute at the end of his term in office recalled how he had been tasked from the beginning with greatly increasing the income of the organisation, as well as raising its public profile.

Within six years, by 1989, the income at NICHS was much greater than it had been in each of the five years prior to Dougal’s appointment, with annual increases ranging from 24pc to 55pc.

For his achievements in the health sector, he was awarded the OBE in 1996

In the early 1980s, Northern Ireland and Scotland were rated as having the highest levels of coronary deaths in the western world.

Dougal persuaded NICHS chairman Dr Roger Lowry to arrange a conference on a ‘Healthier Ulster Diet’ with a view to persuading health professionals and the community at large that a change in eating habits would significantly lower the incidence of coronary heart disease.

The conference was held in June 1984 at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, with Prof Philip James the keynote speaker.

It was attended by professionals from the health, education and industrial sectors and there was general acceptance that diet was a major contributor to the level of coronary heart disease.

On the initiative of Prof Alun Evans, a coronary prevention group was formed within NICHS and a strategy submitted to government.

In early 1987, parliamentary under-secretary of state Richard Needham and secretary of state Tom King launched the Northern Ireland Change of Heart Programme which significantly raised the awareness of lifestyle as a factor in the rise of coronary heart disease and how changing it could reduce the risk.

Seven months later, at the Ideal Home Exhibition in September 1987, Dougal arranged for a ­cholesterol-measuring service to be on offer at the NICHS stand. People queued for hours to have their cholesterol measured with the help of staff and volunteers.

In the succeeding years, tens of thousands made use of the service which was widened to include other health risks.

At an early stage, the NICHS stationed what was known as a “heart bus” outside the market-place in Enniskillen, which resulted in huge numbers of people — particularly farmers arriving for market day — to have coronary risk factors checked.

The NICHS had been eager for a long time to move their offices in Belfast from Bryson House. Dougal investigated the options and in September 1985 the organisation moved to the Dublin Road. For the opening, the services of violinist Yehudi Menuhin were secured.

Starting in the early 1990s, Dougal headed a campaign for a significant increase in access to cardiac surgery, which at the time could take as long as four years in some cases. Accessibility has improved substantially since then.

​In 1989 Dougal took the initiative to organise a conference on stroke treatment which motivated the development of stroke units in hospitals throughout the North.

Along with others, he played a key role in the development of an official Northern Ireland Stroke Strategy, launched by health minister Michael McGimpsey in 2008.

Dougal also promoted tobacco control and smoke-free workplaces in the North and the rest of the UK.

For his achievements in the health sector, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996.

He also worked in education, spending eight years as bursar at St Louise’s College, Belfast and was also non-executive ­director of the Ulster Orchestra ­Foundation Board.

From 2015 to 2023 he also chaired the Public Health ­Agency, which brought together a range of public health functions under one body.

A native of Belfast, as a student he attended Queen’s University in the city where he acquired a BA in Classics (Greek, Latin, Ancient History and Hebrew) before going on to receive postgraduate diplomas in business management and human resources management from QUB and Ulster University.

Andrew Dougal passed away peacefully last Monday, surrounded by his family, at the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast.

He is greatly missed by his wife Fiona, son Jack, sisters Mary Rose and Margaret, brothers John, Gerard and Michael and by other relatives and friends.

Mourners were invited to give donations, if so wished, to the NICHS or to Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres).