Cancer treatment must be restricted to regional centres, says Martin

THE most effective way of delivering regional cancer services has been undermined by local politics, an expert evaluation of the Government's National Cancer Strategy has found.

Launching the evaluation by Deloitte Management Consultants yesterday, Health Minister Micheál Martin said some county hospitals had low levels of cancer surgery at a time when international best practice pointed to the centralising of cancer services.

"Clearly, we need to do what we have been doing in regard to the treatment of breast cancer concentrating resources in specific centres," the minister said.