HSE denies cancer tsar’s accusations

THE Health Service Executive is denying that the country’s cancer tsar, Tom Keane, encountered serious problems in trying to kick-start the country’s reformed cancer programme and that the HSE tried to limit its success.

An explosive email sent to the Department of Health early last year revealed that the head of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), Professor Keane, threatened to go to Health Minister Mary Harney to complain about the HSE’s failure to agree responsibilities and resourcing for the programme.

In the email, seen by irishhealth.com, Prof Keane expressed fears that the HSE was trying to “strangle the NCCP at birth” by not giving commitments to the National Hospitals Office (NHO) on resourcing.

Yesterday, the HSE pointed out that in an address to mark the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day, Prof Keane spoke of the success to date in transferring cancer services from 33 centres to 12.

The HSE spokesman said: “On that day, Prof Keane re-iterated his commitment that no service would transfer until the resources were in place in the designated centre. This remains the position. However, the successful transfer of services to date demonstrates that this commitment has been met and that the designated centres have been in a position to provide the diagnosis and surgery for patients.”

The HSE also said that the NCCP’s budgetary allocation for this year has ensured that sufficient funding is available to allow for the continued roll out of the programme.

In the email, obtained under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, Prof Keane told an official that he could not provide information for a ministerial parliamentary question on developing cancer services.

He said that four months after he had taken over as cancer services chief, “no part of the existing HSE cancer expenditure has been transferred to the NCCP.”

He also, astonishingly, said that he was aware that NHO had been told “not to release financial information to me”.

Prof Keane said he was at a point where papering over difficulties was impossible, and counterproductive.

He continued that he could not assign his discretionary budget until he knew the full extent of existing cancer service commitments he was expected to support within the HSE, including the symptomatic breast programme. He also requested information on what responsibilities and resources were to transferred to the NCCP and when.