Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming before the House today to discuss this important issue. I thank our colleague, Senator Kyne, who put a lot of work into putting this motion together. I compliment all who work in this area. Where I come from, we have the Midwestern Cancer Foundation as well as Milford hospice on our doorstep. The wonderful work which the support workers and the volunteers carry out on a day-to-day basis is phenomenal. They are there to support families when they are going through a turbulent time. From my own experience, my father died from pancreatic cancer. It was a very rare form of pancreatic cancer which was hard to diagnose. In actual fact, he was a very sick man before any symptoms turned up. It can be very traumatic for families when that happens.

Medical cards have been referred to here by colleagues. I am on record on more than one occasion as saying that people who are diagnosed with a terminal diagnosis such as cancer should automatically receive a medical card because it is a very turbulent time for people. It depends on a means-tested application. The bottom line is that a person is in the middle of their treatment, and their family is trying to support the person who is having the treatment, and then that person is refused a medical card. That needs to be looked at and brought in for people under the treatment of cancer, whether on a phased or a full-time basis.

No family has been left unmarked by cancer. It does not matter whether you are young or not so young. A daughter of a friend of mine was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in the brain. Thank God for the treatment she received here in Ireland. She had the tumour removed and had all the treatment and has come out the other side of it. While she still has some defects, such as her speech being affected, she goes out and is a very happy girl every day. She received a lot of support during her treatment locally but also nationally in Crumlin hospital and in the different hospitals she was in. Overall, Ireland provides a very good service but we need to look to do more. When the removal of the prosthesis was looked at, that is, the bras for people who had a breast removed, it caused uproar. The threat of removing supports in cancer services should never be allowed to happen again.

I wish to compliment the staff and the doctors who work in the units, both in the hospital and hospice settings. I am aware the HSE has cut funding to places like the Midwestern Cancer Foundation, which was set up by Professor Rajnish Gupta, who is a cancer specialist in his own right. Much of the work it does is carried out based on fundraising efforts. While it is great the work is being carried out, it should be better supported. As far as I am aware, the funding that other similar foundations receive from the HSE has been cut. This is something the Minister of State may be able to look into. These foundations give a very good service and need to be supported. Every family relies on them in some shape or form at some stage in their lives.