Four times more cancer specialists for Dublin area

CANCER patients in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow have access to more than four times the number of cancer specialists as people in the rest of the country.

In addition, the €4.4 million in funding allocated for cancer services in the eastern region this year is almost three times more than the next highest allocation of €1.55m given to the Health Service Executive Southern Area (HSESA).

The combined number of medical and radiation oncologists in the eastern region is 18. The next highest number in any HSE area is four.

While the eastern region takes cancer patient referrals from outside Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, and has the highest population concentration of 1.4 million people based on 2002 Census figures, it has a disproportionate number of consultant medical oncologists. The current figure is 11, with two more due to take up duty.

A population of 580,356 in the Southern Area has access to just one permanent medical oncologist, Dr Seamus O’Reilly, based at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The HSE Eastern Region has seven radiation oncologists compared to three in the HSE Southern Area, while there are no radiation oncologists in the HSE South Eastern Area, Midlands Area and North East Area, due to an absence of radiotherapy services.

The dire under-resourcing of cancer services in the HSESA was highlighted in the Irish Examiner yesterday. This newspaper obtained a letter written by Dr O’Reilly to Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney and to HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm some weeks ago.

In it, Dr O’Reilly highlighted the difficulties faced by cancer patients in the Southern Area, compounded by the lack of a dedicated in-patient oncology ward at CUH, the region’s main cancer treatment centre.

He said it meant patients dying from cancer had been admitted to a ward with “patients recovering from alcohol intoxication”.

Earlier this year, Dr O’Reilly’s colleague, Dr Oscar Breathnach, resigned in frustration after four years of campaigning unsuccessfully for a dedicated in-patient oncology ward. Dr O’Reilly said difficulties in the services had created problems among vital staff.

In response, the HSE said approval has been secured in the past two weeks to proceed to the next phase of development for a €47m oncology, cardiac and renal unit in CUH, which will include a dedicated 30-bed oncology ward. Arrangements are also being made to establish a 10-bed Medical Oncology Ward within CUH and a fourth radiation oncologist post will be advertised shortly.

“Circa €25m has been invested over the past three years on improving cancer services in the region,” the HSE statement said. A locum medical oncologist was also appointed in July to support Dr O’Reilly.

* Radiation oncologists plot patient treatment while medical oncologists look after chemotherapy. Both specialities deal exclusively with cancer patients.