Consultant Medical Oncologist at Galway University Hospital, Dr Michael McCarthy, says better infrastructure and more staff are needed to meet the ever increasing demand for chemotherapy treatment at the hospital.
The average wait for chemotherapy treatment in Galway University Hospital at present is seven weeks, and that’s well above the recommended wait of 15 days recommended under the National Cancer Strategy
Recent data highlights significant variation across the country in terms of accessing life-saving chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment on time.
Dr Michael McCarthy, President, Irish Society of Medical Oncology and Consultant Medical Oncologist at University Hospital Galway, says he sees the human cost of the postcode lottery in Irish cancer care every day.
He says through extensive managing of the workflow and other efficiencies the Galway facility is providing a maximum throughput of patients,  but he says with ever increasing demand for treatment, it hard to see that it’s sustainable without better infrastructure and additional staff.
Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley asked Dr McCarthy how serious it is for a cancer patient if he/she cannot access their first chemotherapy treatment within the recommended 15 days….
