Labour ‘disturbed’ at patients’ suffering

A DAMNING letter sent to Health Minister Mary Harney by a leading consultant paints a truly shocking picture of the suffering being endured by patients, the Labour Party said last night.

The letter outlines the state of cancer services in the South

Labour Party spokesperson Liz McManus described the letter, published in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, as one of the “most extraordinary and disturbing documents” on the health service to have emerged in recent years.

“It is simply not acceptable that seriously ill cancer patients should be forced to remain at home, simply because the only alternative is a trolley in an overcrowded A&E Department.

“One of the most disturbing aspects of Dr Séamus O’Reilly’s letter is the disclosure that these problems were drawn to the attention of representatives of the Department of Health earlier this year, but that nothing happened as a result.

“The situation is now so serious that the Tánaiste should immediately arrange to visit the area to see for herself the sort of conditions and problems outlined by Dr O’Reilly,” she said.

The Labour Party is to raise the issue of underfunding of cancer services in the South in the Dáil today.

The letter sent to Ms Harney and the chief executive of the HSE highlighted how the continued failure to invest in cancer care has meant terminally ill cancer patients are unable to get hospital beds; IT systems are “dangerous” and directly impacting on patient care; and that women are undergoing unnecessary breast cancer surgery due to the failure to extend the BreastCheck scheme.

In the letter, Dr O’Reilly said he had made “repeated efforts” over four years to highlight the problems and that sustained underfunding in the South had led to the resignation of three consultants this year.

Yesterday, the Department of Health said the management and delivery of health and personal social services were the responsibility of the HSE. The HSE, Southern Area said advances had been made in recent weeks and a €47 million oncology, cardiac and renal unit has been approved.

However, Labour Party TD Kathleen Lynch said she was sick of “promises and no action”, adding that Dr O’Reilly had been fighting this battle for years.

“What worries me most is that the Minister for Health can suggest that she isn’t responsible,” she said.