Harney pledge on radiotherapy for Waterford

PLANS and preparations to bring radiotherapy to Waterford, based at Waterford Regional Hospital, are progressing, says Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney.

She says it is her aim that the Waterford facility would be up and running far ahead of the target deadline of 2011.

In the past week, the Tánaiste has met with the Health Services Executive with a view to progressing with radiotherapy facilities, she said. “It will be a public private partnership and the private sector will built the facility and provide the machinery. The State will then employ the clinicians and the experts which will be required to make that facility successful. We hope that the work on the public private partnerships can advance rapidly. I want to see it rolled out as quickly as possible.”

The Tánaiste declined to be drawn on a target date. “It is not about deadlines. The overall plan is to have radiotherapy between now and 2011, but I would like to see Waterford come on board at a much earlier stage in the plan.

“Certainly, we will be putting a specification in the PPP for a commitment to bring the outreach facilities, the satellite facilities on stream early.”

Chairman of the South-East radiotherapy campaign Dick Roche said getting radiotherapy for Waterford Regional Hospital was very much a victory for people power. He had been confident of a breakthrough, following a meeting with the Tánaiste when she last visited Waterford in June. But he said it is crucial that the development would not be long-fingered.

“When Mary Harney was here, we said we wanted a timetable for delivery of this service. This hasn’t changed and we won’t be ending this campaign until we get radiotherapy at WRH.”

Across Waterford, the Radiotherapy signs are still up. And they will remain up until the facility opens - hopefully some time in 2009.