Madam, - Brendan Carroll (May 29th) suggests Minister for Health Mary Harney "has great support. . .because she is putting patients first". Your recent highlighting of the scandalous Donegal oncology bus is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her lack of support for patients in the north-west.
Every week private cars, taxis, buses, trains and ambulances transport patients from the north-west to Dublin hospitals. Some of these patients are unfit to travel but are dispatched anyway since the treatment they require is unavailable in the north-west. Other patients are hale and hearty but must make the journey for a therapeutic assessment which may take only minutes.
This situation exists because the north-west lacks essential medical equipment and personnel. When this was put to Ms Harney she suggested that if people in the north-west were not happy with the journey to Dublin they could travel to Belfast. Putting patients first? Not in the north-west. - Yours, etc,
JIM STANLEY, Beanfield, Knocknahur, Sligo.