Internal dispute sees 16 leave Donegal cancer action group

A NUMBER of high-profile members have quit one of the country’s most successful cancer lobby groups following an internal row.

Sixteen members resigned after the executive committee of Donegal Action for Cancer Care (DACC) decided to approve a fact- finding mission to the United States without putting the matter to a formal vote.

Noelle Duddy, former chair of the DACC, and secretary of the research and policy sub-committee, said the organisation’s constitution was not adhered to by the executive committee.

If protocol had been followed, two members of each of the 24 local DACC committees around the county would have voted on the matter. Instead, the executive committee opted for a show of hands among at a meeting in November.

Two members travelled to the US in December for three days at a cost of €1,620 to the DACC. They visited the Mind-Body Wellness Centre in Meadville, Pennsylvania, which operates a pulmonary rehab programme.

Ms Duddy said: “We are no longer confident in the direction, decision-making process and management of this campaign.”

Ms Duddy said eight committees have now withdrawn from the DACC, as well as the public relations officer, Jim O’Donnell. Their view was the DACC was founded to lobby for improved cancer services for Donegal, not to set up services. She claimed the DACC was departing from this principle by visiting service providers with a view to doing the same.

However, John Quinn, current chair of the DACC said Ms Duddy held a minority view. He said the DACC’s sole motivation was to improve cancer services in the north-west. He said the constitution had not been adhered to on a number of occasions , but this had not proved a problem.

“There was no problem with the constitution not being used when we were organising the May rally. We had a show of hands. The same applied when organising a candlelit vigil and a delegate conference.”

DACC’s many achievements include: securing the appointment of a consultant radiation oncologist to Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH) and confirmation of the appointment of a permanent consultant breast surgeon to LGH.