Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this issue, which is vital to me, my constituents and people throughout the country. I met Professor Tom Keane who came before the Joint Committee on Health and Children and what he said made me confident that he can deliver the required changes. I spoke on previous occasions in support of the national cancer strategy. I am of the view, now more than ever, that said strategy will be delivered upon by the Minister and Professor Keane.

We need to focus on survival rates among cancer patients. It has been proven that these rates are 20% higher where patients are treated at centres of excellence. Such centres are key to improving survival rates.

There is no doubt that reform of the health service will be difficult. All the more reason then that we should drive such reform and change. By definition, reform means change. Reform alters people's boundaries and takes them out of their comfort zones. It also leads to people seeing themselves as winners or losers in some sort of battle.

Each hospital forms part of a jigsaw. The Government is obliged to consider the whole as opposed to merely focusing on individual pieces. The ultimate goal as regards reform of the health service is the improvement of standards of patient care, an increase in survival rates and the provision of the most up-to-date treatments. We have started out on that road. Our journey will be long and difficult but, ultimately, it will be effective and results will be delivered.

Early diagnosis is the key to delivering improved survival rates. When early diagnosis becomes the norm, multidisciplinary teams must be in place to deal with the large throughput of cancer-related illnesses. Doctors must be familiar with the broad range of cancer treatments and the side effects thereof. They must not work in isolation from others involved in the care of individual patients. Everyone dealing with a particular patient must work together and communicate with each other. It should not be the case that medical teams treat different parts of illnesses in isolation. Patients will suffer unless an approach that is all-encompassing is taken.

Hospitals will lose services as the latter are transferred elsewhere. However, we must ensure the needs of cancer patients remain to the fore. In my constituency of Dublin South-East there have been proposals for a transfer of services from St. Luke's to St. James's. St. Luke's is a wonderful facility with excellent staff and the environment is positive for anyone who is ill and recovering from cancer. If we are required to transfer services to St. James's to improve matters and if more people will survive as a result of such a transfer, we must go ahead with the move. The transferral of services to St. James's will allow St. Luke's to develop other services on the existing site, which is clearly in the interests of the health service.

Deputy Charles Flanagan said that we must learn lessons, but the establishment of HIQA and the appointment of Professor Keane are examples of learning from past mistakes. The recent Barringtons and O'Malley reports were distressing. I also extend my sympathy and support to those involved in their recovery. These reports have highlighted the real need to bring about change by establishing these centres of excellence as soon as we can.

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