FF TD criticises roll-outof cancer services plan

The west and northwest regions would be "delighted" to be the part of the first roll-out of services "but we often seem to be the last to have them delivered", according to a Government backbencher.

Speaking during a Dáil debate on cancer services, Cecilia Keaveney (FF, Donegal North-East) said that "one in four people will get cancer and one in three will die from it". Referring to BreastCheck Ms Keaveney was happy that it was still on target for roll-out this year.

She added, however, that "as with other deputies from the west and northwest I would have been delighted for our areas to have been part of the first roll-out. We look forward to being pilots for all sorts of schemes but we often seem to be the last to have them delivered."

Highlighting problems in the southeast region John McGuinness (FF, Carlow-Kilkenny) said there "there are two palliative care consultants who do not work at weekends. The HSE has not succeeded in making a deal with them in terms of a weekend service," but at-home care teams were active 24 hours a day.

Labour's health spokeswoman, Liz McManus, said it was a Government goal to have a national cervical screening programme, "yet at present the results of smear tests are taking over six months to process". In addition, estimates showed that "65 women a year are dying in Ireland for the simple reason that breast cancer screening is lacking in the west and south of the country."

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Lab, Kerry South) said the Minister was encouraging women to go for tests "but then asks them to wait agonisingly long periods for the results". A woman in her constituency waited nine months for smear test results and now "must undergo intensive treatment".

Green Party health spokesman John Gormley said cancer rates were expected to increase by 90 per cent over the next 15 years. "It is clear from statistics published by the WHO that 80 per cent of cancers are environmentally linked." He stressed that "it is time we returned to first principles because cancer care is extremely expensive and it would make much more sense to address the root causes of this problem by studying factors such as our lifestyles, air pollution, the quality of our water, the food we eat and the household pollution which arises from the types of furniture and paint we use."

Martin Ferris (SF, Kerry South) highlighted what he called the discrimination against medical cardholders who did not have the money to get necessary treatment.

In one case a mother of five whose husband had died a few weeks earlier had on one occasion "to be transported for treatment in the back of a Hiace van because no proper transport was available".

Independent Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley described the position of palliative care as disgraceful.

"Such care is left to charity. Across the country, service provision resembles a patchwork quilt."