An upgraded Cancer Care Centre is to be included in the HSE’s National Service Plan (NSP) next year, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced.
The centre will provide services for patients across the HSE West and North West region.
The current Cancer Centre for our region, based at the model 4 hospital in University Hospital Galway, has been described as “outdated and not fit for purpose”.
A public meeting took place in Salthill last month on the urgent need for a new Cancer Centre to ensure patients have access to timely diagnosis and care.
“The West and Northwest of Ireland are the most disadvantaged and geographically dispersed with a higher-than-average older population and higher incidence of cancer overall,” said Prof. Michael Kerin, Director, Saolta-Managed Clinical Academic Network.
“Friday’s welcome announcement that a new Cancer Care Centre at University Hospital Galway is to be included in the HSE’s National Service Plan next year is fantastic news for the people of the West and Northwest of Ireland. The Cancer Centre development will allow the delivery of cancer care to the region in a predictable manner, in a modern fit for purpose facility with access to appropriate cancer care, clinical trials, new knowledge from cancer research, and training and education of healthcare providers. This is entirely in line with the Sláintecare proposals and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to save three million lives by 2030.”
