Protest against lack of regional radiotherapy services heads to Dáil
In a unique alliance, Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council are to descend en masse on Dáil Eireann Wednesday next.
The decision was taken on foot of being ‘fobbed off’ by Health Minister Micheál Martin.
Mayor, Oliver Clery, said the minister promised a meeting with the local authorities, but cancelled it on foot of pressure due to the SARS scares and the public health doctors dispute.
“He hasn’t even bothered to contact us to reschedule a meeting we were to have several weeks ago. It is unprecedented that our two local authorities should join forces and that there is cross-party support for the picket on the Dáil,” Mr Clery said.
He added that the city’s officials had been given the run-around again and again by the Department who said nothing could be done until the Expert Review Group issued its findings on cancer facilities nation-wide. “Yet someone has chosen to leak sections of this report to the media. We won’t be fobbed off any longer. Even if the minster were to phone me in the morning with a date for our meeting, this protest will go ahead regardless.”
At present, cancer sufferers across the south east have to travel either to Dublin or Cork for radiotherapy sessions, a round trip of three to four hours. The long-awaited report on radiotherapy is believed to recommend just Cork, Dublin and Galway as sites for radiotherapy services. A spokeswoman for the minister said it was due to be published ‘shortly,’ but she was unable to give an exact date.
“The minister is only using the publication of the expert group’s report so he can put off the meeting. This picket is for city and county officials only. But if members of the public want to come along, we would be glad of the support,” the mayor said.
