Neither the European Union nor the European Parliament had the right to dictate where Irish hospital services should be provided as this was the sole responsibility of the Irish Government.

This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin when she responded to a proposal that the European Parliament should be approached to assist in preventing the removal of cancer services from Sligo General Hospital.

She said that the issue of access to health services was one which had to be fought at national level and all energy had to be concentrated in that direction.  “To divert any of our energies to making a case at European level would not be productive as the EU has no say, not even on the grounds of discrimination”, she said.

“While this will be disappointing for some people, if we think carefully about it, we would not want the EU to be in a position to dictate the location of hospital services in Ireland”, she said.

“I have every confidence in the expertise of consultant Mr. Tim O’Hanrahan who has stressed that patients in the North West will ‘suffer sorely’ if existing services are not retained in Sligo”, she said.

The campaign to retain these services had to continue but the target had to remain the Irish government and the HSE rather than divert energy to an EU approach which was not relevant, Marian Harkin stressed.  “This decision must be challenged with the support of expertise provided by Mr. O’Hanrahan because I am firmly convinced that the ‘Centres of Excellence’ mantra being used to influence and indeed, frighten people can be challenged as it conflicts with recommendations previously made to the Government in relation to the number of centres needed to provide fully effective cancer services”, Marian Harkin MEP said.