€5.8m to be spent upgrading hospitals

IRELAND’S cancer chief is spending almost €6 million building up the capacity of the State’s eight specialist cancer treatment hospitals.

Director of the National Cancer Control Programme Professor Tom Keane will also be using the €5.8m allocated to him to hire more specialists and upgrade equipment.

The money was allocated to Prof Keane following his review of the requirements of the eight hospitals where most cancer services will be concentrated by the end of 2009. Responsibility for cancer services will transfer to his office at the end of this month.