Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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92. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has conducted a study on the impact of lockdowns on cancer services including diagnostic and treatment services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59767/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I read the annual report of National Cancer Registry Ireland, NCRI, during the week. I am sure the Minister has also read it. It stated that there would be a shortfall of between 10% and 14% in the number of cancer diagnoses for 2020. As somebody who had cancer during the first wave of the Covid pandemic, I am deeply worried that there is a significant problem with people not getting a diagnosis and treatment and, as a result, having more advanced cancers when they approach the health service in the future. What is the Minister doing to address this crisis?

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I share Deputy Tóibín's concern, as do the team running the national cancer control programme, NCCP, the Department and the HSE. The Department and the national cancer control programme are systematically studying the impact of Covid-19 on cancer services through data monitoring and monthly review meetings. I am sure I would be able to get the Deputy a detailed note on that if he wishes. During the first wave, from March to May 2020, in line with international experience and as the Deputy has quite rightly pointed out, there was a significant drop in the number of people presenting with cancer concerns. From the outset of the pandemic, great focus has been placed by the cancer services on providing safe patient pathways and encouraging people to come forward. That is very important. The HSE deserves great credit for maintaining urgent cancer services throughout the pandemic.

By the time of the second and subsequent waves, the degree of resilience built up in the cancer services through staff commitment, revised treatment guidelines, social distancing and infection prevention and control measures instilled confidence in people that they could come forward and access diagnostics and treatment. Services were much less impacted, which is very good news.

As indicated, we are continuing to closely monitor trends in the number of people coming forward to the diagnostic services and the level of attendance for appointments for treatment. The most recent figures are as follow. The total number of GP e-referrals to rapid access clinics for January to October of this year stands at 127% of the number for the corresponding period in 2019. I have been discussing this with the NCCP. The figure is higher for this year than for last year. I hope that some of that relates to people we would have loved to come forward last year. The total number of patients seen across all rapid access clinics for January to September 2021 stands at 99% of the number for the corresponding period in 2019. I am out of time but I will give the Deputy the rest of the figures as we go.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Today, 480 people will be diagnosed with cancer and 24 people will die of cancer. It is one of the biggest threats to human life in this State. Timely diagnosis can and will make all the difference for many people. The Irish Cancer Society says that it is worried that many people have cancer and do not know it. This will impact on their outcomes. The Marie Keating Foundation anticipates a tsunami of cancer diagnoses. Perhaps the figures the Minister has just given show that those delayed cancer diagnoses are starting to come into the system. Research that we in Aontú recently carried out showed that there is a significant drop in the number of patients who are starting anti-cancer therapy treatments. In 2019, 8,252 patients started chemotherapy, hormonal treatments or immunotherapy. In 2020, this figure had decreased to 7,683. So far in 2021, it is down to 5,703. The numbers attending BreastCheck, BowelScreen, CervicalCheck, skin cancer clinics, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are all down. We need extra capacity to be put in to deal with this right now.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with all of that. In terms of treatment, the numbers are as follows. The number of patients receiving chemotherapy this year is 95% of the number for 2019. The number of patients receiving radiation oncology in the period from January to August is 85% of the equivalent number for 2019. The equivalent figure for surgical oncology for January to August is 80% of the 2019 figure. Critically, these figures do not include the private hospital activity being used by the public system, so the overall figures are higher. I could not agree with the Deputy more with regard to the need to invest very seriously and very significantly. As the Deputy will be aware, €12 million was made available to restart cancer services to deal with Covid-19. This funding is being used to address backlogs, extend clinic times, provide additional clinics and increase diagnostic capacity. Last year, I allocated €20 million for the national cancer strategy. I am allocating another €20 million for next year.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I understand this is a difficult situation for the Government. Nobody expects it to be able to deal with the issue 100%. We talk about capacity ad nauseumin this Chamber but there is a difference of 260 between the number of ICU beds there should be and the number there are. There are 112 to 117 people in ICU beds with Covid at the moment. The lack of capacity is a bigger threat to ICU capacity than those patients. There is a difference of 8,000 between the number of beds there should be in the hospital sector and the number there are. That is 16 times the number of people with Covid in hospital beds. The lack of capacity arising from Government's lack of investment in hospital beds is 16 times worse a threat to hospital bed capacity than Covid is. We need to set out a significant plan of major investment in capacity. There are 1 million people on hospital waiting lists. Even outside of Covid, there is a necessity to build capacity. It is hard to believe that the Government is looking to close down ICU beds and accident and emergency department beds in hospitals such as my own in Navan at such a time of need. I ask the Government to say here today that there will be a radical step change in how it invests in hospital capacity to deal with Covid and other health issues.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am very happy to give that commitment. That step change is already under way. In the last year, there was a record increase in the number of hospital beds. Very shortly, we will have added approximately 1,000 hospital beds. To the Deputy's point, there are more than 500 Covid patients in hospital at the moment. We have added twice that number of beds in the last year. We are in the middle of the biggest increase in critical care capacity on record. This year and last year were the top two years with regard to increasing the workforce and the number of clinicians since the HSE was established. There is another question on critical care coming up very shortly and we can get into the detail at that time. I absolutely agree with what the Deputy is demanding. I am demanding exactly the same thing. We need an unprecedented and historic increase in capacity and we are in the middle of one. We need the same kind of targeted investment in cancer services. That is why the national cancer strategy was fully funded for the first time this year. It will get full funding again next year. Approximately one third of the €50 million for new drugs this year will be spent on cancer drugs. There is an awful lot of catching up to be done but we are moving and investing as quickly as capacity can be added.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Where are the hospital beds the Minister referred to?

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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They are all over the country. We can get the Deputy a breakdown of where they are.