Motion on Cancer Services - 22nd March 2006

Motion on Cancer Services - 22nd March 2006
Mr. Norris: It is so that Senator Henry will have the last word. She has shown herself to be an ornament of the House in these areas and we are lucky to have her because she speaks calmly and in a measured way with considerable knowledge and without partisanship. For that reason, I am disappointed that an amendment was proposed because the Senator’s motion was carefully worded. She used the word “regret” and not a word like “failure”, which Governments tend to find unacceptable. When we are dealing with people’s health, we must keep the human element in mind.
I deprecate the attempts of politicians from all around the country to provide linear accelerators everywhere, which are simply vote catching exercises. We must have centres of excellence and listen to the people who know what they are talking about. I hope the Minister of State will not be misled by this kind of politicking, which I completely understand but which does not work and is not in the interest of people’s health.
Mr. McHugh: Give us the roads. It takes seven hours to travel from Malin Head to Dublin.
Mr. Norris: While battling cancer is important in terms of women’s health, there are also high rates of colorectal cancer among men, so we should consider the possibility of introducing a coherent programme which does not specify gender, except where people like Senator Henry advise us of particular sexual predispositions. Even though breast cancer is unusual in men, I know of two male sufferers.