Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The last shall be first and the first last. Is that not true? I seem to recall that was the wording. I welcome the witnesses. There are some very startling and worrying aspects. It is wrong to give an impression that people who are less affluent are in greater risk. Whatever happens, that must be dealt with. Whatever it is, that should apply in all aspects of the health service. It is used all the time but it is now creating a myth that the person who is less affluent will not get proper or adequate treatment on time. That applies across the board, not just in cancer services. It is important we restore confidence in the system and ensure that people who are deemed less likely to get adequate treatment are provided with a level of service that gives them equal and timely access. Otherwise, public confidence in the health system will disappear and we need the public to have confidence in it.

The other matter is up-to-date data and the extent to which they are not available. Why is this? Are we still suffering from the Covid pandemic? If so, have the data not been prepared as a result? Are there any other reasons they have not been prepared in this area? It was remarked that when the Department of Health was in charge of cancer treatment services, etc., there was a better response than there has been since the HSE took them over. Our guests might elaborate on that.