Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising the matter of the provision of Gallium scans in Cork. Gallium scans are a type of nuclear medicine and are used to find cancer, inflammation and infection in the body. Cancer services in Ireland are provided in line with the national cancer strategy 2017-26, which is overseen by the Department of Health and the HSE. Effective prevention, early diagnosis, access to quality treatment, survivorship, patient involvement and safe, high-quality patient-centred care are key aims of the strategy. One of the key ways of driving improvements and developing new services for patients is the development of referral pathways for cancer patients to support services. In the context of the diagnosis of neuro-endocrine tumours, Gallium scans have been made available and provided in the greater Dublin area. St. Vincent's University Hospital is the main centre for accessing these scans as it is the designated national centre for the management of this tumour type.

The use of Gallium prostate-specific membrane antigen scans in a certain prostate cancer patient cohort is also supported. This is outlined in the national clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and staging of patients with prostate cancer. These guidelines were published in 2022 with a set of appropriate pathways for appropriate use of Gallium scans. The national cancer control programme is carrying out further work with the wider HSE on the implementation of the recommendations in the guidelines, on the provision of such tests to the identified cohorts of patients, and on clarification of the funding stream for this radiological investigation.

The model of care for hospital cancer treatment is centred on eight designated cancer centres, including Cork University Hospital, each of which serves a defined population and geographic area. The centralisation of specialist services into designated cancer centres aims to optimise patient outcomes through case volume, multidisciplinary working and infrastructural supports. For certain services, centralisation at national level is appropriate given the intensive resources that are required to set them up and to maintain expertise. For scans to be carried out effectively and within the standards required, the centralised provision of Gallium scans is needed. Due to the nature of the resources required for Gallium scans and their unique properties, the current provision of such scans ensures the most efficient use of these resources.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind the Chamber that there has been significant investment in cancer services in recent years. This Government provided new development funding of €20 million to cancer services in 2021, along with a further €20 million in 2022. This brought the total allocation for cancer services in the 2022 national service plan to €139.2 million. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to discuss the ongoing work on improving cancer services. I look forward to his contribution.

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