Press Release: Patients will pay the price for the lack of urgency around National Cancer Strategy, warns Irish Cancer Society 

Charity’s call comes as Dáil debates cancer services   

Tuesday, 24 March: The Irish Cancer Society is calling on Government to provide clarity on its plans to develop a new and adequately funded National Cancer Strategy. The charity’s call comes ahead of a Dáil debate this evening following a Sinn Féin motion on Cancer Services.   

The Society has consistently highlighted the lack of ringfenced funding for the current National Cancer Strategy, which has caused staffing shortages, outdated cancer care equipment and a lack of progress reporting on the Strategy's defined targets. The result is that patients continue to experience chronic delays for diagnostics, treatment and access to medicines. 

Steve Dempsey, Director of Advocacy & Communications at the Irish Cancer Society, said:   

“Previous national cancer strategies have worked. In the 90s just 44% of Irish people were alive five years after a cancer diagnosis. By 2018, after our first two National Cancer Strategies, this had increased to 65%. Planning and centralisation have worked. Patients have benefited from multidisciplinary services in one location, treating cancer in its complexity, including surgery, radiation therapy and medical oncology.   

“With cancer effecting one in two of us, and incidences projected to rise in the coming years, it’s vital that the Government builds on the good work of the first two cancer strategies and doesn’t take progress for granted. This means vision, long-term planning and modelling the investment needed to minimise delays, improve outcomes, and save lives. On behalf of cancer patients and their families, we’re calling on Government to urgently provide clarity and timelines on how it will develop and resource a new National Cancer Strategy.”