Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The national development plan states:

In accordance with balanced regional development, a cancer care network for the Saolta region (West, North West) with a Cancer Centre at Galway University Hospital with appropriate infrastructure will be delivered.

Yesterday, those of us from that region had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Professor Michael Kerin, who is the director of the cancer network in the Saolta University Health Care Group. He informed us that it is the busiest centre of excellence in the country by a country mile - the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will be well aware of this - but that it also has the worst outcomes. That is because of the chronic need for serious investment in the infrastructure, not just in the centre of excellence itself in Galway but also in the regional cancer infrastructure. It is dysfunctional at the moment and, according to Professor Kerin, is not fit for purpose. I have one small anecdote.

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