Consultant claims HSE head of cancer strategy is 'dictatorial'

A SLIGO-based hospital consultant has accused the HSE head of cancer strategy, Prof Tom Keane, of being "dictatorial".

Tim O'Hanrahan, consultant surgeon in charge of breast care at Sligo General Hospital said he learned through the newspapers that Prof Keane hopes to transfer the unit to Galway by next March, and yet he and his colleagues have been accused of not being co-operative. This follows recent remarks by Prof Keane about the lack of co-operation in Sligo and resistance by hospital staff and the community to the plan to transfer the breast cancer unit to University College Hospital Galway.

Mr O'Hanrahan, who has argued that the proposals are not in his patients' best interests, said he had been shocked at the lack of consultation. "He calls himself the director [of the national cancer care strategy], but to me his attitude is more dictatorial."

He accused Prof Keane of being "disrespectful and discourteous" to staff in Sligo who he said had been left in limbo. He pointed out that a breast cancer unit had been established in Sligo in line with the recommendations of the Government-commissioned O'Higgins report in 2000, and triple assessment and a multi-disciplinary team had long been in place there.

In response to Mr O'Hanrahan's comments, a HSE spokeswoman said it was continuing to implement the National Cancer Control Programme.

She said the transfer of initial diagnostics and surgery services into designated centres was proceeding as planned. "The HSE will not be negotiating any alternative", she added.