Dáil told 800 children had chemotherapy appointments cancelled

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil that last year, 250,000 hospital appointments were cancelled. Picture: Conor Ó Mearáin / Collins

The Taoiseach has been called on to directly address hospital overcrowding which, the Dáil has been told, has resulted in the cancellation of 800 children's chemotherapy appointments.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called for an additional 3,000 hospital and community beds, warning cancellations across the healthcare service would continue if capacity was not increased.

Last year, 250,000 hospital appointments were cancelled, she told the Dáil, and in each case "that represented a phone call to somebody who has waited with worry to be told that the care they need has now been cancelled".

Pointing to the 800 children's chemotherapy appointments that were cancelled, Ms McDonald said: "A cancer diagnosis for a child must be utterly devastating for a family. The instinct of any parent in that situation is to go to the ends of the earth to care for their child. 

A parent wants to know that the system has got one's child, that the system will catch them and has their back. Just imagine the cancellation of a child's chemotherapy appointment. This is the cancellation of an appointment which a parent knows is a big part of one's child's fight.

"The Government has to stop this happening, I say to the Taoiseach. To stop the problem of cancellations, the Government must solve chronic overcrowding created by the Taoiseach's Government's policy."

Responding, Mr Harris said he accepted wait times were "too high" but added these times were "improving" with "more and more people" being seen within the Sláintecare targets.

"Bed capacity is growing, staff numbers are growing and the health budget is growing and will continue to do so. To any parent of a sick child and, most particularly, to a parent of a sick child with cancer, I want them to know that."

However, Ms McDonald said she had not raised wait times and instead had asked what action was being taken to end cancellations.

The Taoiseach said wait times and cancellations were interlinked.

Mr Harris then claimed details of Sinn Féin's alternative budget for health, had "disappeared and vanished like Shergar from its website" after he raised it in the Dáil on Tuesday.

This was vehemently denied by Ms McDonald and her party colleagues. Pearse Doherty and David Cullinane accused the Taoiseach of "telling lies".

Tonight, 

Tonight, Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) hit back at the claims, and said there are no cancellations in chemotherapy treatment for children.

“Delays or deferrals due to inpatient beds/staffing are rescheduled to the earliest available bed or space, which is usually 1 - 2 days,” a spokeswoman said.

“Day cases may take slightly longer to be rescheduled, but are also done as soon as possible.” She also said: “the majority" of delays or deferrals are for the patient reasons including being too unwell for treatment.