To close cancer services in the North West which provided excellent support to the people of Donegal was a disgrace of enormous proportions especially when such closures throughout the country would facilitate the private profit making hospitals.

This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin when she addressed a very well attended public meeting in Donegal town on Monday night, April 8th which was organised to protest against the failure of Government to ensure the retention of cancer services in the North West.

Marian Harkin said: -  “The Government’s own document on cancer services launched by Mary Harney in May 2007 indicated that there is a need for between 12 and 14 cancer treatment centres but the decision to provide only 8 public centres means that space is being left for a number of private projects.  This is a disgrace of enormous proportions to close down excellent services in public hospitals just to make way for private profit making operations.

“Several spokespersons used the awful events in Portlaoise Hospital as a whip to beat us all into line and suggested that the public who protested on hospital issues had some share of the blame for misdiagnosis of breast cancers.  This was a scandalous suggestion and I am delighted to see from the large attendance at this meeting that that whip has not worked in Donegal.

“I urge everybody at this meeting to sign the petition, to get friends and neighbours to sign and to contact politicians so that there will be no doubt about the strength of feeling on the issue of retention of comprehensive cancer services in Sligo General Hospital to serve the people of the North West”, Marian Harkin MEP concluded.