Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 April 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Funding and Implementation of the National Cancer Strategy: Discussion

Ms Averil Power:

First, on the cancer numbers, as mentioned earlier they are expected to double by 2045, which is a massive increase. We have been warning about that. Those figures are from reports, and an NCCP report that was published, I think, almost ten years ago at this stage. We know that, and they have also increased dramatically in recent decades too. We have not seen corresponding investment being put in, and maybe Professor Kennedy might like to talk to what that means on the ground. We have not seen, save in the most recent budget, enough funding put in place to enable our services to continue to provide the same level of service to the existing numbers of patients, let alone provide for the increase coming this year and in the years ahead. That means our services are under massive pressure on the ground, and waiting times are much longer than they should be. Professor Kennedy might want to come in on that.

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