Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2004
288 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department’s attention has been drawn to a signed deal between the Mid-Western Health Board and the Limerick trust fund (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19128/04]
View answerI am advised that the Mid-Western Health Board and the Mid-Western Hospitals Development Trust have signed an agreement for licence relevant to the provision of a radiotherapy facility on the site of Limerick Regional Hospital. Under this agreement, the trust has been given a licence for land for the purpose of the construction of a radiotherapy facility. The trust intends to make arrangements with a private hospital to operate the facility on its behalf. My understanding is that it is intended to treat public and private patients at this facility. However, I have been assured that the development will not require revenue or capital resources from my Department.
I have advised the representatives of the Mid-Western Health Board of the establishment of a national radiation oncology co-ordinating group which will advise, inter alia, on the national co-ordination and delivery of existing and planned radiation oncology services, including agreeing quality assurance protocols and guidelines for the referral of public patients to private facilities.
My plans for the development of radiation oncology services are in line with the report of the expert working group on the development of radiation oncology services in Ireland, which I launched in October 2003. Its recommendations have been accepted by Government. The Government agrees that a major programme is now required to rapidly develop clinical radiation oncology treatment services to modern standards. Furthermore, the Government has agreed that the first phase of such a new programme should be the development of a clinical network of large centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway. The development of these centres as a clinical network is of paramount importance and will, in the shortest possible timeframe, begin to address the profound deficit in radiation therapy capacity that has been identified in the report. The implementation of the report's recommendations is my single most important priority in cancer services in the acute setting.
In regard to patients in the mid-western region, significant progress is being made to ensure improved access to radiation oncology services that are in line with best international practice at the supra-regional centres at Cork University Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway. The immediate developments in Cork and Galway will result in the provision of an additional five linear accelerators. This represents an increase of approximately 50% in linear accelerator capacity. I have provided for the appointment of an additional five consultant radiation oncologists. Recruitment for these posts is under way. Two of these posts will have significant sessional commitments to the mid-western region. We currently have ten consultant radiation oncologists nationally. This will result in a significant increase in the numbers of patients receiving radiation oncology in the short term.
