It’s claimed cancer patients in Clare are routinely subjected to undignified and inhumane conditions due to a lack of local treatment services.
It follows the publication of the latest annual report from the National Cancer Registry, which shows HSE MidWest has the lowest five-year net survival rate for bowel, breast, prostate and lung cancer in the country.
The HSE MidWest area consists of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary and has a population of over 413,000.
Although University Hospital Limerick’s MidWestern Cancer Centre is one of eight designated cancer centres in the country, there is no HSE funded service in Clare.
A Clare oncology nurse believes this a strong factor in poor patient outcomes, particularly for those travelling from beyond Kilkee, who can face up to a 180km round trip five days a week for chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions.
Anne Murphy from Sláinte An Chláir, who herself is a cancer survivor, believes a satellite unit should be established in Ennis and says forcing patients into the overcrowded environment at UHL has led to some undignified and inhumane situations.
The Cancer Registry’s report found the MidWest’s net five-year survival rate for female breast cancer was 5% below the national average, its bowel cancer and lung cancer survival rates were 4.7% below, while prostate cancer was 1.9% below.
All of those survival rates were the lowest in the country, when compared to HSE regions in the North, West, South, South-East and Dublin.
A Clare Hotelier who’s currently on the road to recovery, meanwhile, is urging people to be proactive.
Co-Owner of Hotel Woodstock, Seán Lally was diagnosed with bowel cancer earlier this year and would spend 22 days in hospital, culminating with emergency surgery.
He now has eleven more rounds of chemotherapy to complete and says while he received exceptional care, early detection is vital.
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