Written answer
Cancer Services
Adult autologous transplants operate at St James’s, Galway and St Vincent’s, and allogeneic transplants at St James’s; Cork unit proposals remain under review and require approval.
221. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health to detail the location of all dedicated stem-cell transplantation units; whether her Department would consider the establishment of a dedicated unit in Cork; and to outline the work conducted by her Department to date on the matter. [74732/26]
Comment on this
The Government is committed to improving cancer care, ensuring better prevention, maintaining improvements in cancer survival rates, and facilitating timely access to treatments. This includes through the increased provision of access to advanced cellular therapies. Advanced cellular therapies are highly specialised treatments used in the management off a range of malignant and non-malignant diseases. These therapies require specialist multidisciplinary teams, dedicated laboratory facilities, tissue establishment infrastructure, specialised inpatient facilities and robust regulatory and accreditation arrangements.
Cellular therapies currently available in Ireland include autologous stem cell transplantation, allogeneic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. Adult Autologous Stem cell transplantation services are currently provided in St James's Hospital, University Hospital Galway and St Vincent's University Hospital. Adult allogeneic stem cell transplantation is currently provided through St James's Hospital.
The Government continues to progress the expansion of advanced cellular therapies nationally. In 2026, Beaumont Hospital was designated as an additional autologous stem cell transplantation and CAR-T Centre, working towards commencement of services in 2027.
It is within this context that HSE South West is progressing proposals for a Stem Cell Tissue Establishment and Advanced Cellular Therapies Unit at Cork University Hospital (CUH), which would support further expansion of advanced cellular therapies.
A Strategic Healthcare Investment Framework (SHIF) has been submitted and is currently under review. While the project is not included in the current approved HSE Capital Plan 2026 it remains under consideration through the established capital planning and approval processes. Accordingly, any future progression of the project is subject to the necessary appraisal, approval, budgetary and capital funding processes.