Breast cancer and patient groups united in support of eight hospitals plan

SEVEN breast cancer charities and patient advocacy groups have united to support the State’s decision to have eight designated specialist centres.

They were brought together by breast cancer specialist Professor Niall O’Higgins, who first called for centres of excellence to be established seven years ago.

Prof O’Higgins said they were now urging the Health Service Executive (HSE) to ensure that the centres were established and fully operational within 12 months.

The professor also chaired the Department of Health’s expert group that published the National Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services in May this year.

Prof O’Higgins also chaired an expert group in 2000, which recommended the establishment of 13 specialist centres.

Last month, Health Minister Mary Harney said it would have been impossible to implement Prof O’Higgins’s report because each of the country’s 11 health boards would have wanted its own centre.

ARC Trust; Europa Donna Ireland; Irish Cancer Society/Action Breast Cancer; Irish Patients Association; Marie Keating Foundation; Patient Focus and Reach to Recovery are all supporting the development of the eight centres — four in Dublin and one each in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

Speaking on their behalf yesterday, Prof O’Higgins said both the minister and HSE must ensure that the centres were appropriately funded and met the standards as a matter of urgency.

While the organisations acknowledge the concerns of a number of local community groups, they are convinced that patients with breast cancer have a much better chance of survival if treated in specialist centres.

They recognise, however, that travelling to the centres is a real concern for some patients, and are calling on the Government and the HSE to introduce a hospital travel costs scheme, similar to the one that already exists in Britain, which would also cover the costs of overnight accommodation for travelling patients.