Vol. 534 No. 1
149 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Health and Children if breast cancer surgery will continue to be available in Letterkenny General Hospital for the remainder of 2001 and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10097/01]
As the Deputy is aware, the provision of services at Letterkenny General Hospital is the statutory responsibility of the North Western Health Board in the first instance.
Major developments in the treatment and care of patients with cancer have taken place since the launch, in November 1996, of the national cancer strategy. It is intended to continue to build on these significant developments. In this regard, the National Cancer Forum set up a specialist expert group to examine the symptomatic breast cancer services throughout the country. The over-riding objective underlying this review was to develop our breast cancer treatment services to an optimal level that ensures the highest possible quality of care and the best opportunity for long-term survival for breast cancer patients. A sub-group of the National Cancer Forum undertook a detailed review of the symptomatic breast cancer services and their recommendations are contained in a report entitled Development of Services for Symptomatic Breast Disease. I accept the broad thrust of this report.
In relation to the North Western Health Board, the report recommends that there should be one specialist breast unit in the area. The report acknowledges that there is a committed group of people providing symptomatic breast disease services at present in Letterkenny. However, there is not a sufficient volume of patients to develop and maintain the expertise of the staff concerned. The board is currently considering how best to utilise the expertise present in this unit, and is exploring the possibility of linking with a unit in Northern Ireland, with a view to coming to an arrangement in order to increase caseload, experience, expertise and formal cross-cover.
The board is cognisant of the fact that whatever services are put in place must be of the highest standards possible and that outcomes for patients must be favourably comparable with international standards. To this end, the board is in consultation with the Northern Ireland health services, while at the same time having discussions with its own hospital consultants and management. The board has informed me that it expects these consultations to take some time and when negotiations are concluded, formal proposals will be put to the board in the usual way. I am confident that these deliberations and consultations on the future provision of services for symptomatic breast disease, will result in an enhancement of the services currently being provided.
