Cancer patients to be treated in Belfast

A NEW cross-Border arrangement agreed by the health departments in both jurisdictions will mean almost 100 cancer patients a year from Donegal will be able to receive radiotherapy treatment at new centre in Belfast.

Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney, who yesterday met her Stormount counterpart Shaun Woodward, said she was pleased with the arrangement but a Donegal campaign group said it would not suit all patients needing palliative care.

The Donegal Action Group for Cancer Care group want Letterkenny General Hospital to be developed as a satellite centre to minimise the need for patients to travel long distances.

Chair of the campaign group, Noelle Duddy said while there would be cancer patients in the county who would benefit from the agreement it would not suit everybody as Belfast was up to 150 miles away from some parts of Donegal.

Ms Harney said the arrangement was a “practical example” of North/South co-operation in providing health services that can make a real difference.

And she said it was her belief this move would not diminish in any respect the level of services offered to patients in the North by their health service.

The move is part of the national cancer strategy to provide access to centres of excellence to ensure better patient outcome.

The Irish Cancer Society said the agreement would meet the short-term needs of people in the northwest.

There are plans to develop centres of excellence in cancer care in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway by 2011 and a satellite centre in Derry within the same timeframe.

A spokesperson for the society said they were happy with the locations of the radiotherapy centres and regarded Belfast as a good alternative in the meantime.

The new facility at the City Hospital is said to be the best in Europe. Due to open next March, it will have eight linear accelerators and a high number of specially trained staff.

Minister Harney said it was expected the centre would be in a position to begin taking patients from Donegal soon after it opened.

She said her department would provide transport for cancer patients from Donegal wishing to be treated in Belfast.

Officials from both departments will now make detailed arrangements for the treatments to be provided when the centre opens.