John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On a grey and overcast day, it may not seem appropriate to raise the issue of skin cancer, which is a topic I am seem somewhat obsessed with. However, because I see on a daily basis tragedies that result from late diagnosis of skin cancers, I was extremely distressed when one of my dermatology colleagues called during the past week to mark my card about a procedure in the HSE's special delivery unit which will have negative consequences for the delivery of care and which must be seen as a mechanism for obscuring the true scope of the deficiencies in our health system. I stand to be corrected on this and I would be grateful if the Leader could get clarification from the Minster for Health. The State has 30 dermatologists but the old Comhairle na nOispidéal recommended many years ago that we should have 45, which equates to one per 100,000 of population. The UK ratio is one per 60,000, which is one of the lowest in Europe. Even if this recommendation was fully implemented, we would have one dermatologist or skin specialist per 100,000 of population, which would still be among the lowest in Europe. Between 1998 and 2008, the incidence of potentially lethal malignant melanoma in this country doubled from 400 to 800 per year while the number of potentially fatal cases also doubled from approximately 100 to 200 per year. How are we dealing with this problem?