Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That was a useful discussion. Some of the meeting was dominated by the report that was released in the news highlighting the inequalities in access to the system and so on. It is understandable that it dominated the meeting to some extent. The difficulty of people trying to access a GP was highlighted, which is normally at the centre. I mentioned even dental care, which, again, is the system. I think we would all agree that this is time sensitive. It is about screening, identifying the issue and then treatment. The frustrating thing that came out during the meeting is that where that system breaks down, people cannot get access to it.

It was sort of a bleak meeting to some extent. We did not really get into the important work ongoing during Covid and now. There is hugely positive work going on. We did not get into work on the new drugs that are coming through the system. We talked about the new technology – the virtual stuff – and that. There are many positive things.

I am aware that we all carry the cancer gene, it is just our immune system, and many people break it down so they do not get it. For those people who are out there and are worried, there is treatment and supports are available. We would encourage them to go and get tested. People know their own bodies and whether there is something wrong. That should be the message that we are sending out here. In addition, there is help.

There is life with cancer and there is life after cancer. People should not be afraid to go for advice.

I thank our guests for coming in this morning. More importantly, I thank all those who work in our cancer services and who are doing fantastic work in saving and transforming people's lives. We really appreciate that, particularly in the context of the sacrifices that were made during Covid, but not exclusively so. Sacrifices are still being made. We understand the pressure people are under and why some want to leave the service. This committee wants to try to improve services. If there is something our guests feel that we did not touch on today that could improve the service and they want our support in respect of it, I ask that they please write to us. We will certainly return to this issue. Once more, I thank the witnesses for their thoughtful insights. Apologies to members who did not get a chance to contribute, but we are out of time.