Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today that the primary objective of the new National Cancer Control Programme has to be "the quality of care for patients and not the location of the facilities".
Mr Ahern said: "It is the Government's intention that the Cancer Control Programme will develop a service of the highest quality providing patients with the best possible outcomes.
"In no way will it be dependent on people's income, age or region," he added.
Mr Ahern was speaking after a meeting this afternoon with the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, and Professor Tom Keane, Director of the National Cancer Control Programme.
Prof Keane, who took up his post on Monday, briefed Mr Ahern and Ms Harney on his initial plans to begin implementation of the National Cancer Control Programme.
The programme plans to establish eight centres of excellence by the end of 2009. The eight centres will be located in each of the four HSE areas to provide an integrated treatment service for all forms of cancer including diagnostic, surgical, medical and radiation oncology services.
The Department of Health has said it is following successful international cancer care models in its decision to modify cancer care in Ireland and each specialist centre will now serve a population of at least 500,000 people.
Hospitals with too few breast cancer cases presenting for treatment were formally asked to shut down their service provision, as patient care is to be phased into the new system.
The new specialist centres will be located at:
- Beaumont Hospital, Dublin
- Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin
- St James Hospital, Dublin
- St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin
- Cork University Hospital
- Waterford Regional Hospital
- University College Hospital, Galway (with some linkage to Letterkenny, Donegal)
- Limerick Regional Hospital
Following this afternoon's meeting Mr Ahern said the Government would give Prof Keane its "full and enthusiastic backing".
Ealier today protesters picketed the Dáil today over the plans to abolish cancer services in Sligo General Hospital meaning patients in south Donegal, Mayo and Leitrim will have to travel to Galway for vital treatment.
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan also called on the Government to review the plan to ensure that adequate cover is provided for the North West. She said that while her party supports the principle of Centres of Excellence more details of how the plan is to be implemented are needed before centres are shut.
However, Ms Harney said the Government would deliver as many aspects of cancer care as close to people's homes as possible but that "quality and safety being the deciding factor of what is done, where".
She said: "The one and only purpose of our cancer control programme is to deliver the best possible cancer care...That will come first, before all other considerations".