John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to have an opportunity to express my views on cancer services in the west and the north west. I commend my party's health spokesman, Deputy Reilly, and my party leader, Deputy Kenny, for highlighting this matter in the Chamber. It is one of the most emotive issues to have arisen among the people of Mayo and the west for many years. The motion does not prevent or impede the establishment of centres of excellence throughout the country. It does not advocate the operation of cancer services that fail to meet the highest standards of audit. We are not looking for millions of euro to be invested to provide additional services we do not already have. We are demanding the retention of the cancer services that have been built up passionately and expertly over the years by the consultants, doctors, nurses and staff of Mayo General Hospital and Sligo General Hospital. These satellite services have operated successfully with a full mandate from the Department of Health and Children and full clinical support from University College Hospital, Galway. The multidisciplinary approach of the teams at Mayo and Sligo hospitals has ensured that the clinical outcome of every patient treated there stands up to the highest scrutiny. Professor Brendan Drumm recently acknowledged publicly the high quality of surgical care provided at Mayo General Hospital. We deserve and will accept nothing less in the future.

I fully support the provision of a satellite unit at Letterkenny General Hospital, under the responsibility of University College Hospital, Galway, which was rightly recommended in the national cancer strategy on the basis of the particular and unique geographical circumstances of County Donegal. Why have the geographical circumstances of counties Mayo and Sligo not been taken into account in the provision of cancer services for the region? Do the decision-makers have any idea of the isolation felt by women in Ballina, Blacksod, Belmullet, Ballycastle, Achill and the islands off the coast of County Mayo? Are they familiar with the standard of roads and transport services in such areas? People in such locations can only dream of motorways, dual carriageways, Luas services, rail links and bus services that would get them to Galway efficiently and on time.

Hundreds of Mayo women who have been successfully operated on, treated and cured at Mayo General Hospital are in the Gallery, along with their families. Why are their views not being taken into account? Why is no consideration being given to the views of consultants who have provided services to a high standard in Mayo and Sligo? Why were Professor Kevin Barry and his consultant colleagues recently forced to publicly support the retention of the existing services at Mayo General Hospital? Was it as a result of the misrepresentation of their views in this House by the Minister, Deputy Harney?

Why have the views of the thousands of people who marched in Castlebar last October in support of the retention of cancer services in County Mayo been ignored by the Minister, Deputy Harney? They have also been ignored by our local Government representatives, Deputies Flynn and Calleary. The people of County Mayo have been told in recent days that the two Deputies intend to vote against this motion. The Deputies have suggested that they would prefer to work from within to retain services and get additional ones. I would be the first to shake their hand if there was evidence of any progress. I will not be holding my breath, however, if their efforts in this regard over recent months are anything to go by. They pledged their support to 10,000 protestors in Castlebar last October. They will have a chance tomorrow night to walk the walk and uphold this pledge.

A number of other questions need to be clarified by the Minister during this debate. On a recent visit to Mayo General Hospital to launch the mobile breast cancer unit, the Minister, Deputy Harney, clearly stated the number of breast surgeries performed in Castlebar last year was 37, although the actual number verified by Professor Barry and his colleagues is in the 90s. Can the Minister stand by her claim even though the certified evidence on the ground contradicts it? This is not just a difference of six but 60 cases. Surely the Minister can acknowledge the gravity of this misinterpretation. How can we be expected to have confidence in a decision based on a misrepresentation of figures of operations performed?

It is also important to state that the Fine Gael motion supports the HSE and Government policy outlined as recently as December 2006 when it was envisaged that the newly established clinical network between Letterkenny General Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway, would work alongside the Mayo and Sligo hospitals. What changed between December 2006 and June 2007? Would it have anything to do with the general election in between?

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