Patients to get radiotherapy treatment in private hospitals

CANCER patients look set to get radiotherapy treatment at private hospitals and clinics while the plan to provide an expanded network of public services runs behind schedule.

Health Service Executive (HSE) chief executive Professor Brendan Drumm said the full needs of patients requiring radiotherapy would be met by 2010, despite his acknowledgement in recent weeks that the national radiotherapy plan would not be completed until 2015.

“There is a lot of capacity in the private system. All I would say is, by 2010, we should be in a position to provide for the requirements of the country.”

The issue of delays led to a public spat between Prof Drumm and Health Minister Mary Harney who said she would not tolerate any hold-ups.

It is expected that the HSE will now seek to rent services from private operators until the new public facilities are ready.

In another development in cancer services, the health standards body, the Health Information and Quality Authority said it was sending letters to all private hospitals offering breast cancer services today to invite them to take part in a quality review. The review was announced after mistakes emerged with the breast cancer tests of a number of women in Munster who were told their were results were negative when, in fact, they had malignant tumours. All public hospitals have to submit to the review, but health authorities have no control over private hospitals, so they have to be asked voluntarily to agree to inspection.