Budgetary "excuses" must not be allowed to delay the improvements to radiotherapy services in the State recommended in an export report published today.
Fine Gael spokeswoman on health Ms Olivia Mitchell said the report "confirms the degree of under-provision of radiotherapy services but the paucity of available treatment will shock those who may have assumed that geographic position is the only barrier to access".
Immediate implementation was also sought by Labour deputy Ms Liz McManus. "It must not become yet another of the pile of reports which are on the minister's desk at present, many of which are gathering dust in the absence of resources".
She expressed disappointment that Limerick and Waterford "have been excluded" under the plan which recommends four centres of excellence based in Cork, Galway and Dublin for radiotherapy treatment.
This theme was echoed by Sinn Féin spokesperson on health Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, who welcomed the report but said the siting of the four centres "reinforces over-centralisation of services".
"This is not a local party issue. This is about accessibility to the best care for our people. We want accessible care in the regions based on the real conditions in this country, not based on population templates and arbitrary quotas imported from abroad."
But the Irish Cancer Society differed from Mr Ó Caoláin on this issue. It welcomed the siting of the cancer units at centres of excellence where patients will have access to specialist, multi-disciplinary care for all types of cancer.
"Treatment in Centres of Excellence has been proven to cut mortality rates by 20 per cent and increase long-term survival and we hope that the full implementation of this report will result in such benefits for patients in Ireland with cancer", said Dr John Kennedy, consultant medical oncologist at St James's Hospital, Dublin and chairman of the Irish Cancer Society's medical committee.
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