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Derry hope for Inishowen
cancer patients
09.11.07
CANCER patients from
the peninsula may in future get radiotherapy
treatment at a new state-of-the-art centre at
Altnagelvin Hospital, Health Minister Mary Harney
indicated yesterday.
Ms Harney made her comments in the Dáil following a
meeting earlier this week with Co-operating for
Cancer Care North West. |
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She said while
radiotherapy facilities at Belfast City Hospital had
been used in the past year by Donegal patients,
"take up is very small".
But Ms. Harney indicated that the way forward for
Donegal border patients |
needing radiotherapy in
future would be if a top facility was built at
Altnagelvin Hospital as a satellite of Belfast City
Hospital. She said her Northern counterpart was in
favour of such a development.
"At a recent meeting with Minister McGimpsey, we had
a very good discussion on a facility being provided
perhaps at Altnagelvin Hospital," she said.
"The Northern Ireland authorities have not yet
formally made that decision but Minister McGimpsey
was extremely positive and we would be very positive
in supporting that because you would then have the
critical mass in the cross-border catchment area to
justify a state-of-the-art radiotherapy facility as
a satellite of Belfast."
Ms. Harney said she had assured the Northern health
authorities that support would be forthcoming from
her department.
"I made it clear to Minister McGimpsey that the
Irish Government would support a cross-border
initiative such as that, either financially towards
the capital cost of equipment or by procuring
services on behalf of patients.
"We await further deliberations in that regard. I
think Northern Ireland needs an additional centre
for their own capacity and my understanding is that
they are examining this at the moment," she added.
"While they have not made any formal decision, I
think they are looking at that part of Northern
Ireland which would obviously suit patients from
Donegal." |
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