Campaigners take radiotherapy fight to the Dáil
A joint delegation from the Radiotherapy Committee Waterford and city and county councillors will arrive in Dublin this morning to press Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary
Harney to develop long-promised radiotherapy services in the region.
The picket this lunchtime comes ahead of an anticipated announcement on Thursday that private radiotherapy care will be provided at a new, private hospital in Waterford.
Hospital bosses hope to enter into talks with Government about extending cover to include a number of public patients. But campaigners say this will do nothing to improve the plight of the bulk of cancer sufferers who are travelling to Dublin and Cork for treatment.
The Government’s new cancer strategy plans to reorganise cancer services into regional or supra-regional centres and ignores the recommendations of the Irish Society of Medical Oncologists.
Senior cancer specialists want comprehensive regional cancer centres offering multi-disciplinary cancer care on one site, as opposed to the American model of supra cancer units, which advocates reserving radiotherapy for central services.
“The joint delegation will deliver a central message to the Government that the people of the south east will not accept a rationalisation of ‘best outcome’, that a designated Haematology/
Oncology facility is an immediate priority for the south east, and that the roll out of BreastCheck to the south east must proceed immediately,” said campaigner Jane Bailey.
Last year, 20,000 people marched in Waterford City. That protest took place in the week before the local elections and preceded an unprecedented dip in Government party support, losing seven seats between them on Waterford’s city and county councils.
Radiotherapy Campaign Committee chairman, Cllr Dick Roche, said while Ms Harney was very open to what the group had to say when they met with her last week, the campaign has to continue.
“We’re planning a day of protest in April and would encourage all of the people of the South East to join us in our march that day. We have to keep up the fight.
“It does not make economic sense for the government to give a temporary solution and provide some public care at a private hospital, if that’s the way they are thinking. The only solution is full cancer services for everyone in the south east, based at Waterford Regional Hospital,” he said.
