Dr. Alasdair McDonnell:

Is any consideration being given to providing for women with breast cancer or others, such as men or women with bowel cancer, at Altnagelvin? By the time they require radiotherapy, they are at the start of a slippery slope. Perhaps they will get better, but when people need radiotherapy, it is usually because the cancer has spread. What are the chances that these people will be able to access surgery in Altnagelvin or elsewhere at some stage? There is a world class cancer centre in Belfast. Professor Patrick Johnston, a proud son of Derry and soon to be Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, effectively set up that centre. What are the chances of tapping into that resource? If somebody has a tumour, the sooner he or she has surgery, the better. I do not suggest they should wait for treatment in the North, but surely it is worthwhile trying to access any space available for surgery in the North, rather than wait six weeks or three months to have surgery in Galway, Dublin or somewhere else. How soon treatment or surgery can be started is a vital issue for people who are diagnosed or whose relatives are diagnosed with cancer.