DONEGAL cancer group
Co-operating for Cancer Care NorthWest, CCC(NW) are
to meet Professor Tom Keane after Health Minister
Mary Harney offered to facilitate the visit. The
offer came during an "indepth" one and a half hour
meeting with Ms Harney in Dublin on Monday.
Group spokesperson Noelle Duddy said the Ms Harney,
recognised the relevance of their detailed questions
and agreed to facilitate the meeting between the
group and Prof Keane, director of the National
Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). They hope to
"further flesh out our concerns, ideas and potential
solutions", said Ms Duddy.
"We very much welcome this. It was a positive
meeting. The Minister confirmed that her department
has offered the Northern health authorities and
Minister McGimpsey, the guarantee of capital funding
towards the construction of a satellite radiation
unit in Altnagelvin and the guaranteed funding for
Donegal patients requiring radiation therapy.
Ms Duddy revealed that senior civil servants met in
Altnagelvin last week and Mary Jackson, principle
officer for the Department's cancer unit reported
back that developments were on track with "the
business plan coming to completion in the coming
weeks".
The unit is expected to be operational by 2014/15.
Cross border health professional teams are meeting
on a regular basis to discuss how best to develop
clinical pathways, added Ms Duddy.
"CCC(NW) stressed that for a true partnership to
develop between the two hospitals clinics,
multidisciplinary meetings, etc would also have to
be provided on both hospital sites. The minister
agreed and stated that all this ground work was
afoot.”
Meanwhile, Ms Harney confirmed that women in the
last three counties in the HSE West Region waiting
to receive BreastCheck would soon be in receipt of
letters asking them to consent to breast screening.
This process will commence this summer with Clare in
July, Donegal in September and finally Leitrim in
October.
Other issues discussed at the meeting included
urgent reforms of transport for patients travelling
for treatment; prostate cancer rapid access clinics
and impact for Donegal men; extending BreastCheck
and access to palliative radiation treatment.
Development of lymphodema services; funding for
bowel screening; the two tier health system –
public/private divide and cross border research into
exploring the potential of cross border hospital
services were also discussed.
Please note that CCC(NW) hold a public meeting on
Wednesday, July 8 at 8.00pm in the Milford Inn,
Milford. Everyone welcome. |
