O’Mahony wants US model for Mayo General cancer care

In this model the Mayo Clinic is the parent centre and the surrounding hospitals provide high quality audited oncological practices working trough protocols for patient care decided at multi-disciplinary meetings. Video conferencing facilities are already on site in Castlebar and would assist in enabling such a system to be put in place,” he said.
Deputy O’Mahony, who was speaking in the Dail, welcomed the new plan but he warned that for it to succeed support structures would have to be put in place. “We need to be assured that when these specialised cancer centres are up and running there will be an adequate and well-resourced transport provision for patients who have to travel to such centres, not like the transport services that have been cut to the bone in recent months where cancer patients have to fork out hundreds of euros for taxis when they are going back for checkups after their treatment has been completed?
“Of course I welcome any announcement of the implementation of the National Cancer Control Programme with specialist centres of excellence for the delivery of treatment, but the difficulty here is the time frame in which they will be made available. No service that already exists around the country should be withdrawn until a better one is provided.
“These services are already gone at some of the hospitals around the country even though the new specialist centres are still some way off. This should not have happened. It is also not acceptable to have a situation at the moment where you are less likely to have access to treatment services such as Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Hormonal Therapy if you live in the west of Ireland because of the variation of access to services regionally.
“I want the Minister to confirm that the breast cancer treatment, the satellite oncology unit and the pathology service provided at Mayo General Hospital will continue after the specialised centre is completed in Galway? It is not acceptable that you are less likely you survive breast, bowel and prostate cancer if you live in the west of Ireland because of the way the services are not equally available in this country. We were promised that the Breast Check programme would be available to every woman in this country by the end of 2007. This will now not happen before the end of 2009 and the last areas to have it freely available will be the west and Mayo. Of course we welcome any announcement of mobile units in Mayo for breast screening as we do the completion of the static breast check unit in Galway, but the wait has already been too long,” he said.

Speech by Fine Gael Mayo TD John O’Mahony on the Fine Gael Private Members’ Motion on Cancer Services, in Dáil Éireann on Thursday 27th September

 welcome the opportunity to contribute briefly to this debate on the delivery of services for cancer patients in this country, or should I say the non-delivery or late delivery of the same if you happen to come from the west or north west of this country. Of course all of us welcome any announcement of the implementation of the National Cancer Control Programme with specialist centres of excellence for the delivery of treatment, but the difficulty here is the timeframe in which they will be made available. No service that already exists around the country should be withdrawn until a better one is provided.These services are already gone at some of the hospitals around the country even though the new specialist centres are still some way off. This should not have happened. It is also not acceptable to have a situation at the moment where you are less likely to have access to treatment services such as Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Hormonal Therapy if you live in the west of Ireland because of the variation of access to services regionally.

It is not acceptable that you are less likely you survive breast, bowel and prostate cancer if you live in the west of Ireland because of the way the services are not equally available in this country. We were promised that the Breast Check programme would be available to every woman in this country by the end of 2007. This will now not happen before the end of 2009 and the last areas to have it freely available will be the west and Mayo. Of course we welcome any announcement of mobile units in Mayo for breast screening as we do the completion of the static breast check unit in Galway, but the wait has already been too long. 2005 went to 2007 and now we have 2009.

I wish to make a couple of more points. The HSE announced yesterday the withdrawal of cancer treatment services at 13 hospitals around the country including Roscommon and Portiuncula in Ballinasloe. This announcement has increased fears about the withdrawal of services in other hospitals around the country.

Can we be assured that others will not be added to this list in the near future? Can the Minister confirm that the breast cancer treatment, the satellite oncology unit and the pathology service provided at Mayo General Hospital will continue after the specialised centre is completed in Galway? Can we also be assured that when these specialised cancer centres are up and running there will be an adequate and well-resourced transport provision for patients who have to travel to such centres, not like the transport services that have been cut to the bone in recent months where cancer patients have to fork out hundreds of euros for taxis when they are going back for checkups after their treatment has been completed?

Are we to be guaranteed that cancer services will not be affected because of the whole range of cutbacks in the health service in general that have seen in Galway, Sligo and Ennis in recent days? We want such guarantees and assurances from the Minister.

O’Mahony calls for greater attention to signage issue

“The most important thing is that no one was seriously hurt and we have to wait for the investigation into the accident before we know exactly what happened. However, the owner of the coach company has alleged that there wasn’t adequate road signage but I’m sure that the investigation will get to the bottom of why it happened. “I don’t think it’s possible to take enough care in areas where roadwork’s are being carried out and generally speaking, I believe that the standards in Mayo are quite high but if we need to give the issue more attention then that’s what will have to be done,” he said.

O’Mahony wants full-time Immigration Unit at Knock Airport

Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony will formally call on Justice Minister Brian Lenihan to appoint a full-time Immigration Unit at Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK) when the Dáil resumes this week.

Deputy O’Mahony said last night that the current situation at the Airport is unsatisfactory because Immigration Unit staff at IWAK are drawn from the pool of Gardaí attached to nearby stations.

“A specialised immigration unit at the airport is long overdue. There is a statutory requirement for Gardaí to be in attendance at every flight that lands.

“Increasing demands are being made of Gardaí on a continuous basis and it is very unfair to expect them to be able to police the streets of the region while at the same time they are expected to attend at Knock Airport.

“I think our Gardaí do a wonderful job in often trying circumstances and I believe they should be given every support both by the members of the pubic and by the Government in terms of provision of resources.

“A stand-alone unit working out of IWAK would relieve the pressure on local Gardaí while at the same time providing the resources needed at the rapidly developing airport.

“When the Dáil resumes next week I’ll be asking Minister Lenihan to sanction a dedicated immigration unit at the airport, and I will be writing to Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy to highlight the urgency of the situation.”

O’Mahony welcomes new Knock Airport changes

It’s particularly good news for the part of Mayo that the airport is based in insofar as there is a need for more job investment there. But, on a wider scale, I think everyone in Mayo will welcome the ongoing developments at Knock Airport. We have witnessed huge growth there in the past few years and I firmly believe that the new direction being taken by the airport management will allow for even further growth and the maximisation of the huge potential that exists there,” said Deputy O’Mahony.

Special status for Knock Airport crucial – O’Mahony

“Cllr Mellett was informed by the council officials that there was no reference to any such scheme in the National Development Plan and that contact would have to made with the Department of Finance to establish the feasibility of the scheme by pointing out the merits for regional and sub-regional development in the context of the National Spatial Strategy and regional Planning Guidelines.

“As someone who is extremely familiar with the needs of East Mayo I know only too well the benefits that would accrue for the people of the area if the status that we’re looking for was given the go ahead. Towns like Charlestown, Swinford, Foxford, Ballyhaunis, Knock and Kiltimagh are crying out for extra employment and if the Minister for Finance can grant us special status, then it would be a huge boost for the entire area,” said Deputy O’Mahony.

HSE recruitment ban – O’Mahony

“I’m sure I won’t be the only person who will find this difficult to understand. The HSE announced a few months ago that they were handing back nearly E100m because they were unable to spend it and now they’re putting a ban on recruitment in an attempt to balance their budget this year. “But whatever about their reasoning behind the decision, what is imperative is that no patient suffers from the knock-on effects from this decision. That’s the bottom line and while we’re being told today that this will be reviewed at the end of the month, the danger is that it will be continued,” he said. It has been reported that the Health Service Executive is imposing a ban on recruitment to try and contain overspending of around €170m. The freeze on hiring will come into effect immediately. The moratorium applies to the promotion and recruitment of existing and new staff, either on a temporary, permanent or replacement basis in hospitals and other health facilities.

O’Mahony welcomes airport proposals

“This is the first step towards ensuring that we will be in a position to attract more industry to the airport and the region and I want to applaud the initiative shown by my colleague, Cllr Joe Mellett, in bringing this issue forward at local area committee level and next Monday at county council level when it will be included on the agenda for the first time.

“I believe that this is the natural way forward for Knock Airport. It makes sense for there to be a declared zone that will act as a base to attract industry to the area. I think we have witnessed recently just how important an airport is to a region with the controversy over the Shannon to Belfast decision and I believe that now is the time for the Government to show its commitment to this part of the west of Ireland by fully supporting the creation of the Strategic Development Zone. This is an ideal opportunity for them to give a boost to balanced regional development which they failed to do at Shannon Airport,” he said.

The planning scheme for an SDZ must be approved by An Bord Pleanala and once planning applications comply with that scheme there can be no appeal to An Bord Pleanala on that development.