An Irish doctor working in Canada has been selected as the State's first national director for cancer control. Prof Tom Keane is currently head of the division of radiation oncology and developmental radiotherapeutics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
He will be charged with implementing the State's second national cancer strategy entitled A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland, which was published in June 2006.
It recommended that cancer care in future be delivered at eight centres across the State in four regional networks, each serving a population of about one million people.
It said there were relatively poor survival rates for many common cancers in the Republic when compared with other European countries. In part this could, it said, be attributed to the fragmentation of cancer services "which leads to too many hospitals and too many consultants being involved in the provision of treatment for cancer sufferers".
Prof Keane's appointment, reported by Newstalk yesterday, was was due to be announced by the Minister for Health Mary Harney later this week.
The appointment comes amid concerns being voiced about delays in the roll-out of the Government's plan for a network of radiotherapy centres across the State as well as worries about breast cancer care provided at a number of hospitals.