DAIL REPORT: The effect of cancer on Irish society is devastating, the Dáil was told. A quarter of all deaths are from cancer, about 7,500 a year, according to Fine Gael's Health spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell. In women under 65, almost half of deaths were cancer-related.
Speaking during a debate on the National Cancer Registry's report on cancer in Ireland from 1994 to 1998, the Dublin South Central TD, whose father, sister and a brother died from cancer, criticised the Government's health strategy. In its references to cancer, "many of the action points are nothing more than extensions of existing targets". It promised that programmes for breast and cervical screening would be extended nationally, but there were no target dates.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said that more than 50,000 women had been called for screening and 34,000 had been screened, a 70 per cent uptake. BreastCheck had found it difficult to recruit specialised radiographers. Of 18 positions, 15.5 were filled. Phase one of the cervical screening programme, covering the Mid-Western Health Board area, was screening about 67,000 women in the 25-to-60 age group.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, was sharply critical of the state of cancer services. She said a "unique and certainly unprecedented event" took place during this Government's tenure. "A woman was forced to go to court to gain access to cancer treatment that she was entitled to have, but was unable to access." It showed the extent to which services to patients had been overstretched and under-resourced.
