Vital cancer centre required to relieve over-burdened Belfast service by 2015 stalled

Speaking at the Assembly on Wednesday the Minister said the resource funding was not there to staff and run the unit. Thus work will not begin on the in 2012 as planned. Nor will it be completed by 2015. It requires an investment of £65m by the Department of Health.

The Minister has consistently refused to give a firm commitment on the timescale for the centre arguing money needed to be released by the Executive to pay for its completion.

Announcing the new satellite radiotherapy centre almost three years ago Mr McGimpsey said it was expected to be in place by 2015.

The unit was heralded as a future provider of additional radiotherapy capacity vital to meet an anticipated increase in cancer in the North West and in Northern Ireland as a whole.

Londonderry DUP MLA William Hay was amongst the signatories of a cross-partisan statement urging Health Minister Michael McGimpsey to deliver on his original commitment to provide the unit earlier this year.

Londonderry health chiefs says the development and operation of the unit at Altnagelvin is “absolutely essential.”

The Chairman of the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) Gerard Guckian has said: “This Radiotherapy Unit is not just important for the people of the North-West and the West of the Province, it’s absolutely essential and it is the right thing to do in creating the necessary future capacity for the whole of Northern Ireland.

“Most importantly this would provide a vital service to the most vulnerable patients who currently have to travel to Belfast for radiotherapy treatment.

“It was heartening to see the cross-party support for this project from the various political representatives at the Health Committee in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

“The unique cross-border nature of the project with the potential to provide for patients from Donegal and the support from the Dublin Government is also an opportunity that should not be missed.”