Results 12,601-12,620 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: We should allow some men to speak.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: Senator Fitzgerald asked about the implementation strategy. I have a meeting tonight with Professor Keane and am due to have a five-hour meeting with him on Thursday. He will come forward with the implementation plan early in the new year. He spent some time here before he agreed to take the position and he knows a lot of the clinicians and other people who work in the HSE. He wants to...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: Yes, but we cannot have 35 laboratories.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: The health forum was due to meet today for its third meeting, although it was postponed, for reasons of which Senators are probably aware, until next week or the following week. There are issues we want to discuss with the stakeholders, the social partners. This health reform is for all of us. There is one thing of which we can all be certain — we may never go back to school again, but...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: I know, but there are fewer that use these facilities. Primary care generally works better in some of these places.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: We are committed. There are 500 GPs involved in primary care at the moment and a further 700 GPs will be——

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: I do not have specific information on Athlone. How cancer treatment is organised in a hospital is clearly a matter for the CEO and the hospital management. However, we would like to have a cancer unit in all hospitals. From the point of view of patients, staffing and resources, it would be helpful to have all units related to cancer situated together rather than being spread out all over...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: These are management issues. In many cases it is not a question of new resources. BreatCheck has been established in 17 counties and it will be rolled out in a further nine counties. The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance will announce the budget two weeks from tomorrow and I am optimistic that increased funding will be provided for cancer services, including the new cancer control...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: There was a large number of questions asked. In reply to Senator Feeney, all of the mammograms have been reviewed by Dr. Ann O'Doherty at St. Vincent's Hospital and the final patient will be met tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon, when the last patient is met, we should be aware of the outcome of all of the readings of the mammograms. On the extension of the age for BreastCheck, I was asked...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: On therapists, money will be given to the Health Service Executive under the disability programme——

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: Everything will be kept open provided it is safe to do so. The people of Roscommon do not deserve an inferior service, no more than people elsewhere.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: On Senator Corrigan's question about the therapists, there has been a delay in recruiting some of those therapists. I regret that is the case, particularly in terms of speech and language therapy which has major implications for disabled children. I have seen the difference between a child that has speech and language therapy and one that does not. Resources will be given to the HSE. Some...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: I had a very good meeting with the Minister for Health in Northern Ireland, Mr. McGimpsey, and will meet him again next week in the North-South Ministerial Council. The only centre of excellence in Northern Ireland is in Belfast. They did what we are doing here ten years ago. They intend to locate another centre on the western side of Northern Ireland as a satellite of Belfast, which would...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: I will start with the cleaning issue, if that is in order. We now have had three audits and to be fair to the last audit, it was much wider than the issue of cleaning. I have a quotation, which I will not bore Members by reading, but it complimented the hospitals on the hygiene issue but where they fell down was in risk assessment and taking the issue seriously at corporate governance...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: There are only 23 medical oncologists. We want all of them involved in this initiative, to embrace it enthusiastically and to work with us.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: No one more than I wants key clinicians to work with our plans. Perhaps they will after the consultant contract is behind us. Senator O'Toole asked about the problem in that respect. There are a number of issues, but access to private practice in public hospitals is a large stumbling block. From time to time, others who may have different opinions have referenced other issues, but this...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: If we are to provide a proper service, we need to double the number of consultants. There are 4,000 junior hospital doctors and 2,000 consultants. The sum total we pay them is no greater than what we would pay were we to have 2,000 juniors and 4,000 seniors. From a financial point of view, the current situation does not make sense. We want to appoint all new consultants on the new...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: The Senator's point on simplifying hospital dealings with the public is valid and not just in the case of her friend who is deaf. There are many foreigners living in Ireland who do not speak English. I recall a Chinese woman in Tallaght Hospital who was able to have direct communication only through her daughter because she had not a word of English. When I visited the children's hospital...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: On the further roll-out of cancer screening programmes, it is advised the next should be for colorectal cancer. This is already being prepared for, after the roll-out of cervical cancer screening. Oral cancer is never commented on. It generally affects lower socioeconomic groups, particularly people who smoke and drink to excess. I was not aware until recently that there are 300 cases per...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Harney: In response to Senator Coffey, funding has been approved for a 42-bed unit in Waterford. I am told it will be in place in 2009 but work will begin next year. The radiotherapy service for Waterford will be a satellite centre. We have provided money to roll out that on a traditional basis and as a public private partnership. We will have all the capacity required by 2010. Meanwhile we are...