Campaigners in the northwest claimed a victory yesterday following the announcement that Donegal is to get its first permanent consultant breast cancer surgeon.
The appointment follows an 18-month campaign for improved cancer services in the region.
The consultant will be based at the Letterkenny hospital and will have direct satellite contact with an "centre of excellence" breast cancer team at Galway Regional Hospital. It means women in Donegal will no longer have to wait several months for examination and assessments.
It also means other cancer services at the Letterkenny hospital, which were threatened with transfer, will remain. The move follows a series of demonstrations, including candle-light vigils, at Letterkenny.
The joint chair of the Donegal Action for Cancer Care, Lynn McDevitt (46), who has fought breast cancer, said: "It's a victory for people power." However, she added that the campaign was far from over and that there were four other demands.
They include the rolling out of the national BreastCheck system to Donegal and the provision of radiotherapy services in the area so patients and their families do not have to travel round trips of up to 360 miles to Dublin.
The campaign is also seeking designated funds for families who have to travel for treatment and an extra 100 beds in the Letterkenny hospital.
Donegal's four Fianna Fáil TDs, Mary Coughlan, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, Jim McDaid and Cecilia Keaveney, issued a joint statement welcoming the appointment of the consultant.
In a statement issued several hours before the HSE announcement, they said: "We are confident that the decision by the HSE is the best outcome for the future of breast cancer services in Donegal."
The HSE said the decision followed a review of options for breast services for Donegal. The breast care services would be provided within a framework merging the Letterkenny service with the regional breast care unit in Galway.