Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney is to facilitate a meeting between Co-Operating for Cancer Care NorthWest CCC(NW) and Professor Tom Keane, director of the National Cancet Control Programme (NCCP).

The move follows a one and a half hour meeting between CCC(NW) and the Minister in Hawkins House n Dublin on Monday last.

The CCC(NW) delegation included: Jim O’Donnell, Gweedore, chairperson; Elizabeth Gibbons, Ramelton, secretary; George Friel, Buncrana, treasurer; Paddy Shields, Gortahork; Brian McGonigle, Dungloe and  Noelle Duddy, Culdaff, spokesperson.

Speaking after the meeting, Ms. Duddy revealed while the agenda of the meeting focused on concerns and progress/developments regarding the provision of cancer services for the Donegal-North West Region, it was “both wide and varied” in its content.

She added: “Minister Harney recognised the relevance of our detailed questions and agreed to facilitate a meeting between CCC(NW) and Professor Tom Keane, director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) to further ‘flesh out’ our concerns, ideas and potential solutions.  We very much welcome this.”

Describing the meeting as “positive,” Ms. Duddy said the Minister confirmed her department had offered the Northern health authorities and Northern Ireland Health Minister Michael McGimpsey the guarantee of capital funding towards the construction of a satellite radiation unit in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry and the guaranteed funding for Donegal patients requiring radiation therapy. 

She added: “Senior civil servants met in Altnagelvin last week and Mary Jackson, principal officer for the Departments Cancer Unit, who attended this meeting. said the meeting was positive and developments are on track with the business plan coming to completion in the coming weeks.”

The unit is expected to be operational by 2014/15 with cross-border health professional teams meeting on a regular basis to discuss how best to develop clinical pathways.  

Ms. Duddy added: “CCC(NW) stressed that for a true partnership to develop between the two hospitals clinics, multi-disciplinary meetings etc. would also have to be provided on both hospital sites.  The Minister agreed and stated that all this ground work was afoot.”

Minister Harney also confirmed that women in the last three counties in the HSE West Region waiting to receive BreastCheck would soon be in receipt of letters asking them to consent to breast screening.  This process will commence this summer with Clare in July, Donegal in September and finally Leitrim in October.

Other issues discussed included – urgent reforms of transport for patients travelling for treatment; prostate rapid access clinics and impact for Donegal men; extending BreastCheck; access to palliative radiation treatment; development of lymphodema services; funding for bowel screening; Two tier health system – public/private divide and cross-border research into exploring the potential of cross border hospital services.

 Meanwhile, CCC(NW) will hold a public meeting on Wednesday next, July 8, at 8.00pm in the Milford Inn, Milford to further inform people of the details of their meeting with the Minister and also to give people the opportunity to discuss the work and progress of CCC(NW).  It is envisaged t a public meeting will also be held in Inishowen that same week, venue and details to be confirmed.  

Ms. Duddy said: “CCC(NW)’s aim is for the people of Donegal and the North West to be in receipt of equitable, accessible cancer services as near to home as is safely possible that will be of a standard not less than best practice with best outcome for the patient.”