Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)

I raise the issue of lengthy waiting times for oncology services in the Mater. This issue was brought to my attention by a constituent of mine called Maura, who was referred by her GP in early February for an urgent ten-day appointment with BreastCheck. Unfortunately, it was May when she received a letter, and she was told there was a five-month waiting list for an urgent ten-day appointment. The Minister knows the important work that unit does in saving many women's lives. I put in a parliamentary question asking for details of it. While those details spoke about retention and staffing issues and capacity, I believe we need to make an intervention. While I am aware of the case of Maura, I am not aware of many other women who might be waiting, not just five weeks, but five months. For the many people who support others through breast cancer awareness and so on, this is an incredibly important issue.

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