Much more needs to be done to develop better services for cancer patients in the Republic, the chief medical officer of the Department of Health has admitted.
Writing in his latest annual report, published yesterday, Dr Jim Kiely said cancer was the second most common cause of death in the State.
While there had been significant developments in services for sufferers in recent years, he said, "much more needs to be done to further develop the services".
In addition, he said much more needed to be done to address the high rates of cardiovascular disease in the State. It was, he said, "a major health burden" causing "over 40 per cent of mortality in Ireland each year".
He wrote: "Although death rates have declined in recent years, much more needs to be done. Other countries such as the US and Finland, which had higher rates in the 1960s, now have lower rates.
"In the USA, it is estimated that up to 50 per cent of the decline can be attributed to cardiological and surgical interventions to treat acute events."
Dr Kiely also warned that there will be a significant increase in the prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases such as dementia in the State in coming years because older people were living longer.
Other diseases he expected to increase in this context included cancers, cardiovascular disease and locomotor disease.
Looking at the health of the population at large, he said Ireland continued to have a lower life expectancy at birth than the EU average.
In addition, those from lower socio-economic groups "suffer disproportionately in relation to poor health and early death when compared with the community as a whole and, in particular, to those sections of the community who enjoy greater economic prosperity.
"Being poor also makes it more difficult to access or afford health care and reduces the opportunity for adopting a healthy lifestyle."
His report continued: "The identification and understanding of the factors which determine this experience and the development of strategies and plans to deal with these inequalities are the most pressing issues facing us in the health field."
He did not refer, however, to the Government's failure in the recent Budget to extend medical card eligibility to a greater number of poorer families, as had been promised. However, he said reducing health inequalities "requires significant political support and commitment".
Dr Kiely claimed discussion on the scale and nature of inequalities in health in Ireland was hampered by the lack of quality information.
"While a substantial amount of data on the Irish health service is collected, drawing inferences on inequalities is not straightforward, primarily because of weaknesses in the data collection systems used."
He noted that the health status of Travellers was particularly disadvantaged, with Traveller women living on average 12 years less than women in the general population and Traveller men living on average 10 years less than men in the general population.
Referring to threats to public health, he said that despite advances in medicine, communicable diseases constituted "a major ongoing public health threat" in a number of areas.
These include an ever-increasing number of hospital-acquired infections, a risk of diseases spread as a result of people travelling further afield and travelling more frequently, and because resistance to antibiotics is growing.
"Events in the past year have thrown the global risk of infectious disease arising from bio-terrorist attacks into sharper focus," he added.