Cancer strategy - National plan too short on specifics

A CYNIC might describe the Government’s ban on the commercial use of sunbeds by those under 16 as a headline-grabbing publicity stunt to deflect criticism from the glaring inadequacies of cancer services in Ireland.

Admittedly, it would be wrong to minimise the cancer threat of sunbeds to children, especially the young girls who use them, invariably under peer pressure, to get a tan for that special occasion such as First Communion.

Though ultraviolet light increases the risk of skin cancer, that does not deter fashion conscious youngsters from using sunbeds. As Health Minister Mary Harney warned yesterday, as the Second National Cancer Strategy was published, people with sunbeds at home should not allow children to use them. The Tánaiste conceded, however, that cancer services in Ireland were extremely fragmented compared with services in other countries.