Massive campaign to save cancer services fails

A DETERMINED campaign, including the collection of more than 20,000 signatures, to retain cancer treatment services at Kerry General Hospital seems to have failed, it emerged.

The HSE indicated it is pressing ahead with plans to relocate breast cancer diagnosis and surgery from the Tralee hospital to a centre of excellence at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Professor Tom Keane, director of the National Cancer Strategy, expects about 900 women from Kerry to travel annually to Cork for diagnosis. He also said travel arrangements are to be put in place for Kerry breast cancer patients.