'Alarming' delays in cancer treatment for Mayo patients revealed

A Mayo TD has said new cancer performance data shows an alarming pattern of delayed care, with too many patients not starting treatment or surgery within target time frames.

According to the data from the HSE, in Mayo almost 13% of people do not get access to chemotherapy within the target time-frame of 15 working days.

This data reveals an even worse situation in Galway, where 141 individuals, or 27% of patients, were not accessing their first chemotherapy cycle within target.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said: “This is worrying data and it should be a wake-up call for the minister and the government.

"Despite the best efforts of staff who do trojan work every single day, cancer services are beginning to slip.

"This preliminary data for 2025 makes for very difficult reading.

“Patients at MUH in Castlebar have to wait longer for access to chemotherapy than patients at half the other hospitals in the country.

"Of 25 hospitals providing chemotherapy, MUH ranks 13th, with 13% of people not getting chemotherapy within the target timeframe of 15 working days.

“That is 30 people in 2025 who faced serious delays in MUH for chemo, and this is simply not good enough. Access to adequate, timely healthcare should not be a geographical lottery.

“The nearest major public cancer centre for the people of Mayo is University Hospital Galway, often a six hour round trip for day patients, and I have heard horrific stories of people having to wait hours for treatment after making the trip down.

“Behind these statistics are people who are sick with worry, facing delay after delay and trying to cope with the fear that their cancer is progressing while they wait.

"Constituents of mine in Mayo have come to me because they are waiting weeks for treatment. This is happening right around the country, and delays in accessing diagnostic scans is a big driver of delays in starting treatment or accessing surgery.

“We cannot allow cancer care to go backwards. The solution is simple.

"The government must commit to full implementation of the cancer strategy with multi-annual funding, publish and deliver a credible workforce strategy, and urgently tackle diagnostic and treatment bottlenecks so patients are seen quickly, treated quickly and supported throughout their journey.

“Patients deserve timely care. Staff deserve a system that supports them. The Minister of Health must act now to stop cancer services slipping further and to drive waiting times down.”