by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
INISHOWEN cancer patients have been dealt a massive
blow after Northern Ireland’s Minister for Health
shelved plans for a cross-border radiotherapy
treatment unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.
The Irish Government and the Northern Ireland
Executive had agreed to fund the building of the
satellite unit to treat those suffering from cancer
in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone. But those plans were
binned yesterday when Michael McGimpsey postponed
the project claiming that cutbacks meant the North’s
Department of Health couldn’t afford to staff the
unit when it was due to become operational – in
2015.
Buncrana TD Pádraig MacLochlainn called on McGimpsey
to resign.
“Michael McGimpsey has to resign. He doesn’t have a
mandate to make a decision like this six weeks
before the Assembly election. It’s unlikely he’ll be
health minister after the 5 May election, Sinn Féin
certainly wouldn’t endorse him again after a
decision like this.”
“It will be 2015 before the unit is built and it’s
unheard of for a minister who has the capital
funding in place to shelve a project like this
because of staffing issues four years down the line.
“Around 40% of the North’s annual budget is given
over to health and McGimpsey should leave it to the
next minister to worry about this. It’s scandalous
that he should play politics with an issue like
this.”
Deputy MacLochlainn re-affirmed Sinn Féin’s support
for the Altnagelvin unit.
Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McConalogue said it was
unacceptable that Minister McGimpsey should make a
unilateral move to renege on an agreement that was
in place between the Irish Government and their
Northern counterparts.
“There’s an onus on the Northern Ireland Executive
to live up to its obligations in terms of building
and staffing this vital unit
“We must ensure that there’s a comprehensive service
for cancer sufferers in the north west region and
that Donegal patients don’t have to endure long
journeys to Dublin or Galway for treatment.
“And the new Irish Government must maintain and live
up to the commitments made by the previous
government in terms of providing capital funding.”
Deputy McConalogue called on Dr James Reilly, the
Republic’s new Minister for Health, to seek an
immediate meeting with Minister McGimpsey and the
North’s First Minister Peter Robinson to have this
decision reversed.
Co-operating for Cancer Care North West spokeswoman
Noelle Duddy said that her organisation was
disappointed with Minister McGimpsey’s decision.
Speaking on Highland Radio yesterday, she said CCCNW
was in no doubt that the other parties in the
Northern Ireland Executive would reverse the
decision and the radiotherapy unit would get the
go-ahead again after the Northern Ireland Assembly
election in May. |
