The women of Mayo are being urged to mount protests over proposals to close the breast cancer care unit at the Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.
An advisory committee of experts on cancer care, appointed by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, following a report by the National Cancer Forum, has recommended that the unit at the Castlebar Hospital be closed and transferred to Galway.
Ms Kate Kane, of the Mayo Cancer Support Association, said the proposal was devastating to cancer patients in the county. "The unit at Mayo General is excellent," she said. "At present, patients can be seen at the Castlebar unit within 24 hours of being referred by their GPs. The waiting time for the same service in Galway is already much longer than that.
"Prof Higgins, who chairs the advisory group set up by the Minister, has suggested that Mayo women could be bussed to Galway for the same treatment. That makes us sound like animals and shows no concept of the trauma experienced by breast cancer patients.
"It's now down to a political decision. That decision is expected to be made by the Minister before Christmas.
"We are calling on the women of the county to get out and make their views on this issue very clear to the political establishment." The Mayo Cancer Association Support group plans to organise a series of street protests in the run-up to Christmas.
The association runs a drop-in centre for cancer patients and their families and friends in the Family Centre in Castlebar.