Cancer clinic should be open to all

A private radiotherapy clinic has called on the HSE to arrange access for public patients, writes South-East Correspondent Neans McSweeney.

RADIOTHERAPY could be provided in Waterford as early as mid-August of this year, according to the group behind the service.

But whether public as well as private patients will receive the desperately-needed service at the UPMC Whitfield Cancer Centre remains an issue for the Health Services Executive (HSE), according to UMPC Cancer Centres International managing director Michael Costelloe.

The first linear accelerator, the machine which delivers radiotherapy, is due to be installed in the private hospital site on May 22. If the HSE agrees to fund the service for public patients, a second linear accelerator will be installed as soon as is practicable.

UMPC is also investigating if chemotherapy might also be provided on site, Mr Costelloe said.

“The development is going pretty well. The cancer facility should be complete within a few weeks. The linear accelerator is scheduled to go in on May 22.

“It should be ready mid-August or in early September. Under the Finance Act 2006, hospitals eligible for tax incentives have to be registered and approved. We are hoping that this will not delay us,” he said.

One linear accelerator can typically deliver treatment to up to 450 patients a year. If and when a second accelerator is installed, that number would naturally double.

“Our intention was to have two accelerators up and running from the very beginning. We thought we might have already agreed a contract with the HSE to provide the service to public patients. It is obviously clear that there is a critical need for public as well as private patients to be treated in the south-east.

“We are anxious that we would not arrive at a situation where private cancer patients would turn right and access the service but where public patients would have to travel either to Dublin or Cork.

“We are reasonably hopeful that an agreement will be reached with the HSE, at least until the service planned for Waterford Regional Hospital is up and running. They have said they are willing to explore the matter,” Mr Costelloe added.

The cancer hospital has already received a very positive response from private insurers VIVAS and the VHI. BUPA still has an issue with risk equalisation before it commits to further service agreements, he said.

While UPMC will be running the cancer facility, the rest of the hospital will be run by another, separate company. The separate clinic is scheduled to have four operating theatres, 12 consulting suites and comprehensive diagnostic equipment.

The facility will have the capacity to treat 6,000 inpatients and day patients in its first full year, rising to 8,000 by 2010.

The specialised cancer centre will employ 10 specialist staff. But the entire facility is expected to generate more than 100 full-time jobs. It is anticipated that up to 20% of beds at the hospital would be available at all times for use by public patients with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

Last May, Dr Jeffrey Shogan said that UPMC Cancer Centres were delighted to enter the Irish market and emphasised that as a non-profit, academically-affiliated organisation geared towards medical excellence, their focus is on delivering quality patient care and best outcomes.

“Our mission at UPMC is to provide outstanding patient care and to shape the health system of tomorrow through clinical innovation, biomedical and health services research and education.

“Our vision commits us to redefining traditional models of healthcare and it is our earnest wish to be recognised nationally and internationally as a top-tier academic centre for research and clinical excellence, while remaining firmly rooted in local communities.

“We strive to be the best at everything we do and have an intense focus on continuous improvement that has served us well in the US and which we feel will also help us to succeed here in Ireland.”

Dr Jim Madden of Euro Care International has been one of the key driving forces behind the project since its initiation. He said he is delighted to have UPMC, a not-for-profit organisation, on board and added that a key requirement of theirs is that this be a socially inclusive facility.

“It is the intention of our transatlantic partnership that the widest possible range of cancer patients will receive all of the oncology treatments to be provided at Whitfield Clinic, whether their fees are covered by medical insurance or under the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

“We have said from the very outset that we are fully committed to reaching an agreement with the Government that will allow public patients to enjoy the same access as medically insured patients to treatment at our facility.

“Indeed, our entire business model for this project is built on that basis.”