Cancer group hits out at McCreevy

A GROUP concerned with providing better facilities for cancer sufferers has criticised the Government for fast-tracking millions into the development of an events centre rather than investing in additional oncology services.

Jane Bailey of Cancer Care Alliance said cancer patients were obviously not regarded as "value for money" by the nation's politicians.

She was referring to revelations that the Government granted €16m towards developing the Punchestown Exhibition Centre described by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy as "value for money".

Ms Bailey said the money would be better spent on funding facilities that would benefit the wider community, particularly the South-East region, which had limited oncology services.

"Funding an exhibition centre in Punchestown will have little impact on the vast majority of our families. However, adequate funding of our regional oncology centres would represent 'value for money' for all of our families and that cannot be calculated in monetary terms alone," Ms Bailey said.

She pointed out that the south-east regional oncology centre, at Waterford Regional Hospital, had no designated oncology ward and that other cancer services were limited.

"It has 12 designated cancer patient beds for a population of over 420,000 people, it has no designated palliative care beds, it has totally inadequate day ward facilities to accommodate in excess of 3,000 cancer patients a year," Ms Bailey said.

The hospital also had totally inadequate pharmacy facilities for storing chemotherapy drugs, Ms Bailey claimed.

"All of this combines to increase the stress and anxiety of patients and their families and medical staff who are trying to deliver quality care while starved of resources," she said.

Last year, €23m was made available for maintaining and developing cancer services across the health boards.