Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I have tabled this important matter on the Adjournment to seek clarification of the current status of co-operation between Belfast and Donegal regarding facilitation of cancer patients. I ask not as a matter of concern but for clarification, since the relationship is evolving. I acknowledge the good work that has been done to date and the negotiating team that has set up the facility in Belfast to give people in Donegal the choice between there and Galway.

I also seek clarification of the arrangements regarding the different levels of cancer treatment and who is being facilitated. Are all patients being given the choice, or is there a select group? As I stated, co-operation between Belfast and Donegal is evolving, but ultimately we must keep the Donegal public well informed. I have anecdotal evidence which suggests that a patient in Donegal was not being facilitated in Belfast within the past few days, and that is what caused me sufficient alarm to table this matter. However, it may have been the case that the proper mechanics had not been set up between Belfast and Donegal.

In a general sense, I initially welcomed this co-operation, as I would any in an all-Ulster context. However, it is most important that the people of Donegal and the north west be assured that this will not be a long-term solution. Galway and Belfast are still peripheral to the north-west region, and it is politically very important that the pressure be maintained to ensure a satellite radiation facility is established in the north west in the medium to long term. There is still significant demand among the people of the region for their own local services. A critical point in that regard is that we do not want services to be provided willy-nilly all over the place for their own sake. However, the people of the north west want a fair share of the pie and a transformation from the present situation whereby patients must spend hours travelling long distances to access basic essential services.

With respect to the more local dimension to medical services in the north west, in the past few days there has been an extremely serious blockage regarding general services at Letterkenny General Hospital. I ask that the Minister of State use his influence to expedite construction of the new wing and admissions unit there. We will have new modular facilities in January, but we must keep a very sharp focus on the short to medium term.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue and am seeking, first, clarification regarding the systems that will be employed and who will be allowed to use facilities in Belfast. Second, it is important to recall that the Minister stated in this House that Donegal patients will be facilitated in Belfast only after priority patients from the North have been cared for. That means that it is not a first-class, transparent system for the people of the north west. While we welcome it and congratulate those involved in fast-tracking it as part of the negotiating team, one must remember that there is not equal access for the people of Donegal. It is not an all-Ulster initiative or a primary accessible treatment facility for the people of Donegal. The only way to get around this problem is by the setting up of a standalone radiation treatment centre for the north west in the long term. We must keep a sharp focus on that objective.