New rapid cancer diagnosis centre to be based at South Tyrone Hospital

THE South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon will become a new Rapid Diagnosis Centre for cancer, it was revealed this week.

On Tuesday, the Health Minister Robin Swann launched the new Cancer Strategy for the North, which comes amid fears over missed diagnosis during the last two years of the pandemic.

Mr Swann said the central vision of the new strategy is to “ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland has equitable and timely access to the most effective, evidence-based referral, diagnosis, treatment, support and person centred cancer care”.

He added, “Regrettably cancer services were challenged before the pandemic and there continues to be significant capacity and workforce challenges across a range of areas.

“Therefore there is a need to move forward urgently to implement the actions outlined in this Strategy to rebuild and transform our services in the short, medium and longer term.

“The Rapid Diagnosis Centres will be piloted at both the South Tyrone Hospital and the Whiteabbey Hospital and will enable patients from across Northern Ireland who have non-specific but concerning symptoms to get diagnosis support when they do not meet the criteria for red flag referral.”

South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew welcomed the announcement.

“As the cancer strategy is rolled out it is important that services are equally dispersed across the North and that patients have timely and equitable access to the cancer services and diagnostics that they might need,” said the Sinn Féin man.

“The implementation of the Cancer Strategy actions are of course reliant on the increased and recurrent funding that was proposed by the Finance Minister Conor Murphy and are now unfortunately threatened by the reckless behaviour of the DUP when they abandoned the executive.. it is vital that the DUP rethink and put the health needs of all our constituents before their own political fortunes, or preferences.”