Calls for improvements to cancer services in south-east

CANCER sufferers in the south-east continue to be treated as second class citizens, local activists say.

Wed, 23 Nov, 2005 - 00:00

Neans McSweeney, South-East Correspondent

Proper transport facilities must be provided now for those who have to travel to Dublin and Cork for radiotherapy, campaigners say.

Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney will come under further pressure to deliver a better service for sufferers in the south-east when she arrives in Waterford on Monday for the official launch of the South-East Radiotherapy Trust (SERT).

The discrimination of sufferers in the south-east must end, according to Fine Gael senator Maurice Cummins. A dedicated transport service for radiotherapy is now critical, he said.

"We have had reports, committees and promises yet the sufferers in this region have to fend for themselves. In Dublin, taxis and ambulances are provided from houses to hospital. But here in Waterford, people still have to fend for themselves. It's just not on," he said.

The issue will be one of several which will be discussed with the minister in Waterford on Monday.

And it is one of many probed through the Radiotherapy Trust.

It was set up earlier this year in response to Mary Harney's decision to provide public radiotherapy facilities at Waterford Regional Hospital to serve the whole south-east area of Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary.

SERT was established to help all those who have difficulty fully accessing this important facility within these boundaries. Their immediate aim is to alleviate these difficulties and to develop more convenient facilities for cancer patients.

It also aims to provide transport for patients linking to the Department of Health's Radiotherapy Plan and provide a hardship fund for specific cancer sufferers.

At present, full radiotherapy is only available in Dublin, Cork and Galway and patients in the south-east have to travel for the service. SERT was created to help alleviate these difficulties and to aid in the development of drop-in facilities for cancer patients.