Campaign: The Government's first positive step towards providing neurosurgery in the west has been warmly welcomed by the Western Neurosurgery Campaign.
Ms Pam Fleming, campaign chairwoman, has expressed "delight" at last week's comments on the issue by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney.
Speaking during a visit to University College Hospital, Galway (UCHG), Ms Harney said neurosurgical services should be established in Galway as part of the Government's health strategy.
Such a service was required if there was to be "regional autonomy", Ms Harney said, while emphasising her first priority was to resolve the crisis in accident and emergency services throughout the State.
Certain accident cases requiring specialist neurosurgical treatment could not be transferred to Dublin for distance reasons, and the case for a service in the west had been made to her in a "very impressive" presentation before Christmas, the Tánaiste said.
The six-strong delegation from the Western Neurosurgery Campaign (WNC) who met Ms Harney included Ms Fleming and Ms Pat O'Dwyer, widow of lawyer Paul O'Dwyer who has promised funding of $5 million towards a neurosurgery unit at UCHG.
Ms O'Dwyer is envoy for US neurosurgeon, Prof Patrick Kelly of New York University, who has promised a $4 million gamma laser knife, used to treat tumours, if such a unit can be included in UCHG's building programme.
Comhairle na nOispidéal has been working on a protracted report on neurosurgery services,currently confined to Dublin and Cork, and is due to report in the spring.
Neurosurgeons at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, said a State-run emergency air ambulance service would be preferable to establishing a neurosurgery unit on the western seaboard, and have argued that such a unit would not be viable on population grounds.
However, the Beaumont consultants acknowledged there could be an argument for a unit to cater for emergencies and spinal injuries.
Ms Fleming established the WNC after her son, Sammy (27), sustained brain injuries in an accident on his bicycle near their home in Kinvara, Co Galway, seven years ago. She has said repeatedly that road accident victims and other critically ill patients west of the Shannon cannot be treated adequately due to the lack of access to a neurosurgery service within the "golden hour". An estimated 900 people in the western region sustain brain injuries every year, and many are left with severe disabilities which require constant support and care.
Ms Harney also indicated that she could see a future for the Bon Secours/Grove Hospital in Tuam, Co Galway, and had met representatives of Tuam Town Council in relation to it.
The Western Health Board had purchased it for €3 million in 2002, and she intended to ensure that "taxpayers' money was not wasted".
Ms Harney said she was committed to extending the Breastcheck cancer screening service, and said a decision would be made "very quickly" in relation to the most effective way to do this.
"It is important that we have screening programmes that can prevent serious cancer emerging," she said. "Breastcheck is obviously a highly successful programme, and so is cervical screening and indeed there may be areas of male cancers such as prostate cancer where appropriate population screening can have a major impact."
