Cancer services in the North East
Ó Caoláin raised unmet cancer-care needs and high mortality in the North East. The Taoiseach cited the radiotherapy report and additional funding, while also reiterating the Hanly change on medical cover.
——there is a failure to address a real need and that the North Eastern Health Board clearly is an area that is not being addressed and which has a high cancer rate and a serious rate of mortality and morbidity?
Comment on this
The radiotherapy report has been published and the Minister has stated his position. I hope that in the coming years, improvements made in the last decade will continue because there is a much better service. The more resources that can be invested, the more it will improve in time to come. This year an additional €15 million or so has gone into improving the service on top of the base that has been created in recent years.
On the Hanly report issue, the Deputy asked me if the nurse service after a particular hour had been changed. I said "yes" and that there would be medical cover.