Record health funds but no windfall for cancer

HEALTH spending is to increase by 9% to a record €16.2 billion next year but speculation of a huge cash injection for cancer services in the wake of recent controversies proved off the mark.

Health Minister Mary Harney announced an additional €35 million for cancer services next year — but that sum is to cover the continued roll-out of BreastCheck and the commencement of the national cervical cancer screening programme as well as the increase in radiation services and the massive task of reorganising all services into eight centres of excellence.

Ms Harney was unable to put the increase into percentage terms to compare it with last year’s spending as expenditure on cancer is mixed in with spending on general surgery, diagnosis and therapeutic services in hospitals, but she said she believed the amount was “significant”.