Radiotherapy services ‘should work in unison’

THE POPULATION of the south-east is sufficient to merit having four linear accelerators, the machines which provide radiotherapy to cancer patients.

But it is not ideal that the service be provided at two separate hospitals, specifically Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH) and the new Whitfield Clinic five minutes away, an expert says.

While radiotherapy services are not due to be up and running at WRH until 2011, the privately owned Whitfield Clinic will be providing radiotherapy through one linear accelerator when the unit opens in November.