'The south of Ireland needs this': Campaign urges stem cell transplant unit at CUH

Mags McCarthy, patient advocate from Cork, outside Leinster House recently before meeting politicians about opening a stem cell transplant unit in Cork. Photo: Luke Brabazon

The need for a stem cell transplant unit in Munster will be discussed at a meeting of Cork County Council on Tuesday as pressure grows for specialist cancer services to be provided in the region.

At present, patients from Cork, Limerick, and elsewhere in Munster, including those with leukaemia, must travel to Dublin or Galway for stem cell transplants, which are available only at two national centres.

Consultants and patients have been working together to bring investment for a dedicated unit at Cork University Hospital.

Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan will bring a motion before the council calling on health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the HSE to support the establishment of a stem cell transplant unit at CUH.

HSE South West has said while some treatment still continues in Cork, stem cell collection ceased in 2008,  following new EU standards brought  in under the EU Tissues and Cells Directive 2004. However, it was understood to be a temporary move.

The number of patients referred for cellular therapy from Cork and Kerry alone stood at 77 by the end of September 2026. 

Of those, 60 had either received treatment or been given a treatment date, while a further 17 were still awaiting assessment in Galway or Dublin.

Singer Mags McCarthy has been driving the campaign having seen her father, who is aged in his 70s, travel from Cork to St James' Hospital in Dublin for treatment.

She welcomed the council motion, saying it was about ensuring patients could access stem cell transplant and cellular therapies at CUH.

Singer Mags McCarthy has been driving the campaign having seen her father, who is aged in his 70s, travel from Cork to St James' Hospital in Dublin for treatment.

It would allow doctors at the Cork hospital to "have the tools to treat their own patients instead of sending them to Dublin or Galway  to access treatment", she said. 

“We are already underserved compared to the rest of Europe. The south of Ireland needs this.” 

Members of the campaign recently presented their case at Leinster House having been invited by Fine Gael senator Eileen Lynch.

Ms Lynch said: “This briefing was the first step in raising awareness. We will now continue to work together to push for and progress delivery of a stem cell transplant lab for Munster.” 

HSE South West said it is "aware of the importance of timely access to the highly specialised services at the two designated national centres".

A spokeswoman said that, up to September, the average interval from referral to allogeneic donor stem cell transplantation was under six months.

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“Delays in allogeneic donor stem cell transplantation can arise for a variety of reasons, including disease-related, patient-related and donor-related factors, as well as service capacity considerations,” she said.

It is working on proposals for a Stem Cell Tissue Establishment and Advanced Cellular Therapies Unit at CUH.

However it is budget dependent, she said. “The project is not included in the current approved HSE Capital Plan 2026-2030. It remains under consideration through the established capital planning and approval processes.”