Opposition parties and groups campaigning for better cancer services for patients have expressed concern that the new cancer strategy did not come with a specific budget ringfenced for its implementation.
Fine Gael's health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey said he was disappointed that publication of the long-promised strategy was not accompanied by vital details such as funding for its implementation, as well as details of where the eight cancer centres which are recommended for delivering cancer care are to be located.
Labour's Health spokeswoman Liz McManus called on the Minister for Health Mary Harney to outline exactly how much money will be ringfenced for implementation of the strategy.
"The Tánaiste has announced that there is a new cancer strategy, but she hasn't told us how much money she's going to commit to it. At the moment, hospital cancer services are being cut, rather than being improved. For example, in the northeast, proposals to appoint a cancer specialist have been delayed to save money," she said.
Jane Bailey, spokeswoman for the Cancer Care Alliance, said it was worrying that implementation of the strategy hadn't been costed. "No funding has been mentioned. It's crazy," she said.
"The critical point with this cancer strategy is, is it going to be funded? You cannot bring people to regional centres without proper resources," she added.
Ms Bailey said she accepted multidisciplinary cancer care could not be available at every hospital, but she felt it was reasonable for people to expect such services to be provided on a regional basis.
The Irish Cancer Society, while broadly welcoming the strategy, also expressed concern that there was no mention of a budget for the maintenance and development of the four cancer control networks outlined in it.
It said that an additional €23.5 million was allocated to cancer care services in the budget, but this was inadequate considering the increasing incidence of cancer, increasing demands on services and increasing need for screening programmes to promote early detection of cancer.
Ms Harney said she did not know what it would cost to implement the strategy. The Health Service Executive will devise a plan to implement the strategy over the next six to eight weeks and she said when she saw this plan she would have a better idea of the cost of implementing it.