Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Cahill contacted me yesterday about a constituent of his who has been diagnosed with grade 3 cancer of the breast and had an appointment in the Mater hospital. I raise this in the context of the programme for Government, the cancer strategy and the timely attention to people in difficult situations. It is a very challenging diagnosis. The woman was given an appointment for 9 November last and was told to arrive fasting on that day at 7 a.m. She had to come up to Dublin the day before. People have to make arrangements when they are travelling from the country to Dublin hospitals. A phone call came to say the operation was cancelled along with 34 others because of some edict from on high. The Minister for Health was mentioned but I presume it was not someone at that level. There was a fear of overcrowding in the accident and emergency department and that there was a need to preserve beds and cancel what were considered to be elective procedures. No guarantees could be given as to when the procedures would take place or that such an event would not happen again.

This is not an uncommon phenomenon but it seems to be happening with greater frequency. It is an extremely worrying development because part of the success of cancer strategies has been the idea that elective treatment and treatment generally would be ring-fenced and that in the centres of excellence there would be timelines for treatment after diagnosis which would not be breached by the pressures that acute services can impose on a hospital. I am aware of other hospitals where there are breaches and the timelines that were originally set down for treatment in the aftermath of diagnosis are not being met because of pressures on the acute tertiary hospitals.

Is the Taoiseach concerned about that? Will he investigate the situation - I can give him the particular details - and the wider issue that arises as a result of such cancellations of urgent intervention which seem to happen more frequently?

See this speech in context