Cancer patients in the northwest were given fresh hope yesterday that they may soon be able to access radiotherapy services closer to home.
It follows a meeting between Co-operating for Cancer Care NorthWest (CCCNW) and Minister for Health Mary Harney in Dublin.
Noelle Duddy, spokeswoman for CCCNW, said her group was told at the meeting that there would be a North/South ministerial meeting at the end of this month on establishing a cross-Border satellite radiotherapy unit. She said the main radiotherapy unit in the North, at Belfast City Hospital, was reaching capacity and a review of the North's needs is taking place. It was believed, she said, that there would be a sufficient population in the northwest and in Derry to support a satellite centre.
"From what the Minister said we would expect to hear big news soon regarding the provision of a satellite radiation unit for the northwest which would mean . . . cancer patients in Donegal and the northwest would not have to travel the vast distances that they currently have to travel for treatment," she said.
At present they travel to Belfast, Dublin or Galway.
Meanwhile, Ms Duddy said other issues raised at the meeting included the implementation of the new national cancer control plan. She said her group supported centres of excellence but asked Ms Harney to reconsider whether eight such centres were sufficient for the country.
She said Ms Harney also confirmed there would be further investment in cancer services at Letterkenny General Hospital, which will serve as an outreach cancer care service for the north- west linked to a centre of excellence in Galway.
A spokesman for Ms Harney said the Minister had clarified issues on the roll-out of the new cancer control programme. It was also confirmed that there would be discussions with her counterpart in the North on radiotherapy services.