Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is hard to even imagine what it is like to learn that one has cancer and how devastating the impact of a cancer diagnosis can be on a person. It is a difficult diagnosis for anyone to accept, regardless of age or circumstances. It is difficult enough in normal times but life for people living with cancer has been unimaginably hard since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

It is understandable that screening and other cancer services were paused during the lockdown period but the break in services has led to a serious and significant backlog. Only 100,000 people underwent screening in the first half of this year. Last year, 500,000 people were screened. Hundreds of thousands of people who should have undergone screening tests have not done so. It is imperative, therefore, that the backlog be cleared as soon as possible. In order to do that, we need to increase screening capacity and this must be backed by increased funding. The Irish Cancer Society has estimated that 450 cancer and 1,600 pre-cancer diagnoses may have been missed this year. That is hundreds of people who could face devastating consequences as a result of not undergoing screening. The Irish Cancer Society has also said that other countries show clear indications that Covid-19 has led to significant reductions in cancer survival rates due to reduced capacity in cancer care services. The consequences of this could be dire if we do not act now. There is a serious onus on the Government to prioritise this issue.

Sinn Féin's policy document, to which my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, referred earlier - A Fresh Start for Cancer Care - lays out a timeline on how this can be achieved. In order to minimise the potential disastrous outcomes for patients, we have to ensure that we can provide full cancer services in a Covid-19 environment. In the short-term, we need increased capacity in order to deal with the backlogs. I hope the Government will consider this motion because it is important that we get the cancer screening and cancer services up and running in order to clear this backlog. There is an onus on the Minister to ensure that this is done by supporting the motion.

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