Staff at Letterkenny General Hospital have gone ahead with a plan to stop seeing new breast cancer patients despite a plea from the Health Service Executive to postpone their action.
The medical board at the hospital said it was left with no alternative but to start its action yesterday as the hospital did not have a permanent breast surgeon.
It has been appealing to the HSE to sanction such an appointment for some time.
The HSE claimed the action was unwarranted. It said it was working with other hospitals to see if arrangements could be made for new breast cancer patients in Donegal to be seen elsewhere. They may have to travel to Sligo, Donegal or Derry.
"We are concerned and disappointed at the decision taken by the consultants at Letterkenny General Hospital to refuse to see new breast-care patients from June 1st," the HSE said in a statement. "We consider this action unnecessary in light of written commitments from the HSE that new arrangements for the delivery of quality assured breast care services would be confirmed by the end of June."
To provide quality assured specialist breast-care services, it would be necessary for Letterkenny to link with a large specialist breast disease centre, it said. Meetings with clinicians in Galway, Altnagelvin and Letterkenny have been ongoing with a view to seeing if such an arrangement can be agreed.
The medical board of Letterkenny hospital said it regretted it had proved necessary to suspend from the beginning of this month symptomatic breast services for new patients It said the HSE had been informed of the plan in early February.
"Unfortunately, in spite of this, and in spite of ongoing intensive efforts by the medical staff at the hospital to resolve the issue, dating back to 2001, no meeting was arranged by the HSE to deal with the current impasse until 18th May," it said in a statement.
It added that a suggestion from the hospital medical staff that services could continue without interruption after June 1st via a temporary pilot link-up with the specialist breast unit in University College Hospital, Galway, was rejected by the HSE.
"Under these circumstances, in the interest of ensuring safe quality patient care in the area of symptomatic breast disease, the medical board has been left with no option other than to suspend the service in line with the statement of February 2nd.
"It is the view of the medical board that the hospital's patients are entitled to a service of the highest standard and quality and one which enjoys the unqualified support of the HSE," it said.
Fine Gael TD for Donegal South West Dinny McGinley said it was deeply regrettable that in the wake of the visit by Minister for Health Mary Harney to Letterkenny earlier this week, no progress was made by her department in seeking to avert this action.
"This is yet another blow to the provision of cancer services in Donegal, already diminished by the absence of radiotherapy services and the BreastCheck programme," he said.
Green Party deputy health spokesman Paul Gogarty said while he accepted the consultants were trying to make a point, it was "inexcusable to refuse to treat patients and hold them to ransom". He urged the HSE to implement the changes necessary to resolve the protest.
Meanwhile the chief executive of Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry said she could see no reason why her hospital and Letterkenny could not work together to provide breast-care services for the north west.