Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 424: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the cancer treatment service, including pre-operative, and post-operative services, available at present to people in counties Offaly and Laois; the changes envisaged under the proposed national cancer strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12143/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) has designated St. James's Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital as the two cancer centres in the Managed Cancer Control Network for the HSE Dublin Mid Leinster Region, which includes Counties Offaly and Laois. The designation of cancer centres aims to ensure that patients receive the highest quality care while at the same time allowing local access to services, where appropriate.

Where diagnosis and treatment planning is directed and managed by multi-disciplinary teams based at the cancer centres, then much of the treatment (other than surgery) can be delivered in local hospitals. In this context, chemotherapy and support services will continue to be delivered locally. Cancer day care units will continue to have an important role in delivering services to patients as close to home as possible.

The decisions of the HSE in relation to four managed cancer control networks and eight cancer centres will be implemented on a managed and phased basis. Professor Tom Keane, Director of the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme, is currently engaging in detailed planning to facilitate the orderly phased transfer of services between locations.

The specific question raised by the Deputy in relation to cancer services available to people in Counties Offaly and Laois relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the HSE under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this regard.