Government votes to end cancer services in the North West

sligo | miscellaneous | news report Thursday May 22, 2008 11:41 by Sligoboy

Death By Geography

After a heated debate in the Dail the Government won the vote on the retention of Cancer services in the North-West. The result will see all cancer services bar some recovery units move from Sligo General Hospital and Mayo to the Governments proposed Center of Excellence in Galway.

The FG-Labour private members' motion was debated in the Dail both yesterday and last night causing scenes of disbelief as Brian Cowen openly threatened the opposition benches with censure from his own side of the house after being what he described as 'persistently heckled'

After resumption of the debate last night FG, Labour and SF TDs called for Fianna Fail TDs Jimmy Devins, Beverly Cooper Flynn and Eamonn Scanlon to join with them in preventing the closures in Sligo and Mayo. FG TD John Perry made an impassioned plea to the deputies citing figures that actually proved Sligo's cancer unit fulfilled all the medical criteria set out by the over-all review and therefore should remain open and fully funded. It appeared to have made a nonsense of the Governments case for closing the unit on the grounds of critical mass and international best practice.

The Fianna Fail deputies however gave lengthy orations to the house explaining their apparent u-turn on the issue and why they would be supporting Mary Harneys reforms. It was a potentially damaging climb-down from their earlier stated position which drew cries of derision from the packed Galleries.

Cooper Flynn in particular who had ran as an independent canvassed heavily for the retention of services and told voters she would do all in her power to prevent the closure of the Cancer Unit in Mayo. She dutifully reneged on that promise last to tow the party line. As did Eamonn Scanlon and Jimmy Devins.

The vote for the Government was carried 75-62. It means that there will be no cancer units north of geographic line drawn from Dublin to Galway