Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important debate. The national cancer strategy was formulated by medical consultants — the top experts in their chosen field. They are people with no other agenda but to ensure that the disease of cancer could be contained and treated in the most effective way. To them outcomes and locations are important. What matters is that lives can be saved, the quality of life of cancer patients can be enhanced and survival rates can be improved. Last night the Minister, Deputy Harney, stated that Ireland rates 18th out of 23 EU countries in terms of the one and five-year survival rates for breast cancer. Sadly, even in the latest figures available from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland women in the west are showing survival rates that are 25% poorer than those for women on the east coast.

I would like to recall the last Sunday in October when more than 7,000 people marched in a protest in Castlebar against the transfer of surgical services to Galway. Seven very courageous women, many of whom are in the Gallery this evening, Mary McGreal, Mary Fahey, Ann McDonnell, Kathleen Warde, Mary Callanan, Teresa McDonnell and Ann Shields, all cancer survivors, organised and led the march because they had been treated excellently in Mayo General Hospital by Dr. Barry and his team, and they did not want to see that service lost to Mayo. They were not alone. I gave a pledge that day to do all in my power to retain those services in Castlebar. I submitted a proposal which I brought to the HSE, the Minister and the then Taoiseach. That plan would have seen Castlebar become an integral part of the Galway network. Cancer surgery could be retained in Castlebar and Mayo patients would still have access to specialised services in Galway. However, on 11 March the hospital manager, Tony Canavan, announced that he and his consultant colleagues——

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