Brendan Kenneally (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution to this important debate. It will come as no great surprise to the Minister that my main focus will be on radiotherapy. As mentioned by other speakers, I realise we cannot have all the services everywhere. Last year we talked about putting a heart and lung transplant unit into one of the hospitals in Dublin. However it was decided not to do this because – I hope my figures are right – only 22 people required this procedure last year. I believe they were sent to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. If a procedure only needs to be performed once every fortnight, we will not have the expertise here to do that.

We have to give similar consideration to cancer. However, cancer is totally different because one in three people will be affected by cancer at some stage, making it probably the biggest health issue in the country. Forgetting about location for a moment, the radiotherapy services are not being provided for everybody at present. I do not denigrate St. Luke's Hospital in Dublin, which is doing a fantastic job. A very good friend of mine has spent time there and while he was lavish in his praise for the care and treatment he got, that is not enough.

We are all frustrated waiting for the report of Professor Hollywood on radiotherapy services. The Minister has been given completion dates, which have not been achieved. We are now told we will see that in the next few weeks. Although I do not know the contents of the report, there have been certain leaks.

All the oncologists at Waterford Regional Hospital tell me that the three strands of treatment available – chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy – must all be available at the one location. We lost an oncologist who moved to Cork because he was frustrated at not being able to treat his patients properly. I fear that will happen in other areas if we do not provide all the correct services. Everybody in the entire south-east region is at one in wanting a radiotherapy service in Waterford. That does not happen often as we are usually pulling against one another. The leaks seem to indicate this will not turn out the way we in the south-east want.

I have a difficulty with the fact that vested interests are involved in producing this report in that most of the people on the review group were located in Dublin, with a number from Cork also. I accept that is where the experts are located and we could not get them from anywhere else. However, they will look after their own patches to the detriment of the rest of the country.