Ahern: Focus on care, not location

By Evelyn Ring

Thursday, November 22, 2007

QUALITY of patient care and not the location of facilities has to be the primary objective of the National Cancer Control Programme, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern insisted yesterday.

The programme provides for the transfer of all significant cancer treatment to eight designated specialist centres.

Mr Ahern said the Government intended that the programme would develop a service of the highest quality providing patients with the best possible outcome.

"In no way will it be dependent on people’s income, age or region," he declared after meeting with Health Minister Mary Harney and programme director Professor Tom Keane.

Prof Keane, who took up his post on Monday, briefed Mr Ahern and Ms Harney on how he plans to begin implementing the cancer strategy.

Mr Ahern urged everyone at every level involved in cancer care to support Prof Keane, whose job would involve difficult but necessary reforms of services.

While he accepted and respected the concerns of people who felt that services were being taken away from their areas, the primary objective had to be the quality of care for patients and not the location of facilities.

"I believe that this cancer strategy is the right one in the long-term interests of all cancer patients," he said.

Ms Harney said that the one and only purpose of the cancer control programme was to deliver the best possible cancer care.

"That will come first, before all other considerations," she said.

"Patients have the best outcomes from cancer care when large numbers of specialists work together dealing with large numbers of cases," said Ms Harney.

While many aspects of cancer care would be provided as close as possible to people’s homes, quality and safety would be the deciding factor in the choice of location, Ms Harney stressed.

The Department of Health said it was following successful international care models in its decision to reform cancer care in Ireland.

Each specialist centre will serve a population of about 500,000 people.

Four will be located in Dublin, with one each in Cork, Waterford, Galway and Limerick.

According to Prof Keane, if people are given a choice they would clearly choose having better cancer care outcomes, despite having to travel further for services.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, November 22, 2007