Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to first of all welcome the Minister of State to his new position and wish him the very best in the future.

The aim of the national breast screening programme is to detect cancer early and to provide treatment for women who show no symptoms of the disease. There are only five mobile breast units in the whole of Munster and while we all agree that they are doing marvellous work, there are not enough mobile units nationwide given that breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women. That early detection is vital for a good outcome. It is very important to invest in this highly effective screening service by increasing the number of mobile breast units nationally.

One of the mobile units comes to Bantry every 18 months. I have been contacted by a number of ladies who have appointments in the next few weeks and months for their bi-annual mammogram. The screening is directed at women who are aged between 50 and 69 years of age and who are at the greatest risk of developing breast cancer. The mobile BreastCheck unit will not be back in Bantry until the summer of 2025. Therefore, these women, many of whom are full-time carers and cannot spend a full day away from their duties to attend Cork BreastCheck clinic, will skip their appointments and put themselves at risk of going undetected. The five Munster mobile BreastCheck units are currently based in North Cork, Killarney, Limerick, Waterford, and Saint Finbarr's Hospital, Cork but with the increase in population and the high rates of breast cancer in Ireland, it is very important that we continue to increase the number of mobile units to meet this demand. Ireland's cancer outcomes are at risk of declining due to the strain on health care services. People with cancer deserve optimal care for survival and quality of life. Properly resourced cancer services are essential, with protected pathways unaffected by other health service pressures. Like everyone else, I am calling for a reversal of the decision for no new recurrent funding for the national cancer control programme in 2024 and to commit to sufficient multi-annual funding for the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.

In the few seconds speaking time I have left, I mention Cancer Connect, a service in west Cork and all over Cork County now, which is bringing patients to Cork University Hospital, CUH, and is an excellent service. That service was promised €50,000 by politicians in the Minister of State's Government. It has not got a brown cent and the people providing this service are doing this on a voluntary basis, where people are giving of their time. It cannot continue like that. I ask that the Minister of State look into that please.

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