APRIL 2005
Cancer Patients want equal access to treatment
According to Donegal Action for Cancer Care - a new campaign group,
which was formally launched at the Foyle Hotel, Moville, on Tuesday,
Cancer patients in Donegal will no longer accept being left out
of national plans for the development of radiotherapy services.
The group made up of cancer patients and their families, say they
now want the immediate appointment of a radiation oncologist to
Letterkenny, a commitment to the development of a satellite radiotherapy
clinic in the longer term, and a commitment that existing cancer
services will be maintained here.
Members attending yesterday's launch heard that existing plans
for the extension of radiotherapy services contain no concrete proposals
for Donegal, merely an aspiration that cross-border services may
eventually be provided. They also heard that proposals for the regionalisation
of breast cancer service pose a threat to the existing treatment
services in the county - at Letterkenny Hospital. The Regional Director
of Cancer Services in the North West, Dr Kevin Moran, also addressed
the meeting about the lack of plans for radiotherapy treatment here.
Breast Cancer patient Noelle Duddy chose to have a lumpectomy followed
by radiotherapy to reduce the risk of any remaining cancer cells
spreading, she has now been waiting three months since her surgery
for radiotherapy treatment, and has still not been given a start
date. Noelle said "I now feel that I would have more seriously
considered the option of having a mastectomy if I had known that
I would be waiting over three months to have radiotherapy treatment.
I feel this is a terrible indictment of how Donegal patients are
being treated. Noelle went on to say, "It places a terrible
burden on cancer patients to have to make journeys lasting up to
five and a half hours to see a radiation oncologist in Dublin, and
the campaign wants to see such a post being established in Letterkenny."
The news conference also heard that, in some cases, patients are
being given the news that their cancer is untreatable at a time
when no family or friends are there with them.
Frances McDaid was preparing to travel to Dublin when her mother
phoned to say she had just been told her cancer was untreatable.
Frances' sister had left her mother to return to Donegal just an
hour before, so her mother was completely alone at this time and
Frances was over five and a half hours away. Frances is speaking
out so that other families don't have to go through a similar ordeal.
A petition has already been circulated by the group who are holding
a public meeting in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel on Tuesday 19th
April at 8pm when guest speaker on the night will be Dr. Kevin Moran.
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