To Simon Harris Minister for Health and Pat The Cope Gallagher TD,

This petition is based on a matter of general public concern and interest in relation to suspension/lack of comprehensive chemotherapy services at Letterkenny University Hospital.

I request a review team to attend LUH and with relevant dept managers and hospital director to carry out a full operational and financial investigation into the service failings across depts.

Following the investigation, the review team to feedback directly to Minister for Health Simon Harris. All recommendations to be accompanied by a timeline of action with follow up timelines and allocated individuals for each recommendation. This information must also be made available to the public on a HSE website.

Co. Donegal is a large county with a population of 158, 755 people with LUH as it's only provider.

As a result of the suspension/lack of chemotherapy services at LUH, cancer suffers have to endure horrendous experiences by travelling up to 5hrs to the next available treating hospital in Galway or Dublin. A gap in such crucial services is unacceptable and causes further suffering for patients, families and in some cases death. This is reflective of a wider system crisis in the operational and financial running of LUH.

It is deeply concerning that the Minister for Health Simon Harris did not attend the debate regarding the LUH crisis with the elected representitives from Co.Donegal in the Dáil recently. This is the rationale for this petition including that I am personally from Co. Donegal and it is my mission to speak up for those unable to or unwell to speak for themselves due to the unacceptable circumstances that they are required to endure to access treatments services. 

This review is of upmost importance in order to ensure the medical dignity and integrity and care is made available to cancer patients of the North West of Ireland. Sufficient posts and recruitment needs to be prioritised as a matter of urgency to serve the unwell population.

The bottom line is that people are too ill to make to sustain the regular journey across the country to access life saving treatment which they are being discriminated against because of where they live in Ireland. People are dying at the hands of the lack of action taken to by this government which needs to be addressed urgently. Please read the comments from patients, family and carers, clinical staff from the hospitals who contributed to this petition.