The family of a west of Ireland cancer patient who waited months to receive radiotherapy treatment in a Dublin hospital was informed a bed had finally become available for him - four days after he had died.
His case was used yesterday by Mayo Independent TD Dr Jerry Cowley to highlight the inequitable access to radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients.
Mr Cowley said public patients were waiting up to three months for radiotherapy, whereas private patients could avail of it on demand. In addition, the treatment was available only at hospitals in Dublin and Cork, and it was unacceptable to expect patients from the west, north-west and south-east to have to travel for treatment.
Dr Cowley, along with other independent TDs, and with the support of Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party, will force the Government into a debate in the Dáil next week on what he called the "cancer-care apartheid" which exists in the State.
The technical group in the Dáil will use Private Members' Time on Tuesday and Wednesday to present a motion condemning the inadequate budget given to cancer care since 1997, the failure to extend cancer screening to all citizens and the "total lack of a proper oncology service".
Dr Cowley said there was no evidence radiotherapy would have saved the life of the west of Ireland patient, but it had the potential to reduce his tumour and prolong his life.
Meanwhile Fine Gael's health spokeswoman Ms Olivia Mitchell yesterday called on the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, to outline what services would be cut to pay for the nationwide extension of the BreastCheck programme. The extension was announced recently before a planned march through Dublin to campaign for its expansion.