Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am raising the urgent need to locate a Gallium PET CT scanning machine in Cork. Gallium scans are essential for the detection of tumours for certain types of cancers. I have been contacted by many patients with neuro-endocrine cancer. Neuro-endocrine tumours are rare tumours of the neuro-endocrine system, which is the system in the body that produces hormones. Gallium scans are essential for the detection of tumours for this type of cancer. There are no Gallium scans available in the south of the country or in the Munster region. It is my understanding that Gallium scans are only available in the greater Dublin area, with St. Vincent's University Hospital being the main centre for accessing these scans. Patients in the Munster region are waiting up to 18 months to get their first Gallium scan. Will the Minister of State provide an update on the number of people currently waiting for a Gallium scan? Will he outline whether funding has been allocated for the provision of a scanning machine in Cork or elsewhere in the Munster region? Will he comment on whether an application for funding has even been made?

I want to read two excerpts from correspondence from patients who have contacted me. It is important to read them into the record. The first patient wrote:

In the past I have had to travel from Cork to Sweden to get this scan. I thought that the availability of Gallium scans in St. Vincent's University Hospital would mean there would no longer be a reason for me to make this long journey to Sweden. Unfortunately I have had to wait 18 months to get my first Gallium scan in Dublin.

The second patient wrote:

I had a neuro-endocrine tumour removed from my ilium about six years ago in Cork. Since then I have very regular monitoring. I consider myself very lucky to have been in Australia on a visitor visa for the past couple of years and have been able to have a Gallium scan as needed. In fact I was in Sydney, visiting family, a year ago. A year after surgery I was able to have a Gallium scan before I went back to Ireland. When I return home to Ireland I am very worried about the fact that there is only one scanner and it is in Dublin. If my oncologist feels I need one I expect to have to wait months and then travel to Dublin. There is excellent care available in Cork under my own oncologist. Surely the next step is to provide a scanner in Cork.

I have read those two extracts, both of which relate to cases in which people are travelling abroad, because there are very long waiting lists for the facility in Dublin. If the Minister of State has any update on whether an application for funding for the same has been made for Cork, I would appreciate it.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising the matter of the provision of Gallium scans in Cork. Gallium scans are a type of nuclear medicine and are used to find cancer, inflammation and infection in the body. Cancer services in Ireland are provided in line with the national cancer strategy 2017-26, which is overseen by the Department of Health and the HSE. Effective prevention, early diagnosis, access to quality treatment, survivorship, patient involvement and safe, high-quality patient-centred care are key aims of the strategy. One of the key ways of driving improvements and developing new services for patients is the development of referral pathways for cancer patients to support services. In the context of the diagnosis of neuro-endocrine tumours, Gallium scans have been made available and provided in the greater Dublin area. St. Vincent's University Hospital is the main centre for accessing these scans as it is the designated national centre for the management of this tumour type.

The use of Gallium prostate-specific membrane antigen scans in a certain prostate cancer patient cohort is also supported. This is outlined in the national clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and staging of patients with prostate cancer. These guidelines were published in 2022 with a set of appropriate pathways for appropriate use of Gallium scans. The national cancer control programme is carrying out further work with the wider HSE on the implementation of the recommendations in the guidelines, on the provision of such tests to the identified cohorts of patients, and on clarification of the funding stream for this radiological investigation.

The model of care for hospital cancer treatment is centred on eight designated cancer centres, including Cork University Hospital, each of which serves a defined population and geographic area. The centralisation of specialist services into designated cancer centres aims to optimise patient outcomes through case volume, multidisciplinary working and infrastructural supports. For certain services, centralisation at national level is appropriate given the intensive resources that are required to set them up and to maintain expertise. For scans to be carried out effectively and within the standards required, the centralised provision of Gallium scans is needed. Due to the nature of the resources required for Gallium scans and their unique properties, the current provision of such scans ensures the most efficient use of these resources.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind the Chamber that there has been significant investment in cancer services in recent years. This Government provided new development funding of €20 million to cancer services in 2021, along with a further €20 million in 2022. This brought the total allocation for cancer services in the 2022 national service plan to €139.2 million. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to discuss the ongoing work on improving cancer services. I look forward to his contribution.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I know he is not the Minister for Health and is not in that Department. I have had correspondence and parliamentary questions going back and forward. I have a reply here from 24 June 2022 which is similar to what the Minister of State has read out this evening It mentions assessments, reviews and the like with veiled, shrouded language. I am asking straightforward questions. I appreciate that the Minister of State is not the Minister for Health, but could he get responses for me afterwards? Has an application been lodged for a Gallium scanner in Cork? It is a simple question. It is a yes-no question. If he gets that detail for me, I would appreciate it.

I listened to the Minister of State's response. It is true that we have made massive progress in the area of cancer treatment in this country over recent years. Cancer outcomes are a good deal better than they were historically. We still have a great deal of work to do in the area of breast cancer. That is one area where we are lagging behind.

I will return to the question of Gallium scans in Cork. The two extracts that I read set out two real-life experiences. The Minister of State mentioned that early intervention, effective diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important. However, I suggest that anybody waiting 12 or 18 months for one of these scans is not getting early intervention and is probably not getting a diagnosis early enough to help to combat that disease. I have asked three simple questions. If the Minister of State does not have the answers today, I would appreciate a follow-up response. Has there been an application for a scanner in Cork? If so, when will it be made available to the people?

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy. I have no additional information in my closing statement but I take his point in regard to the delays. That is certainly something I can feed back, as well as the specific question in regard to an application for one of the scanners. I will follow up on that.