Election 2024: Health — 'I wasn't dying enough for specialist cancer treatment'
Was Conroy, She Bowel Liver Treated Years Inoperable Niamh Germany Stage Who Metastases Where From 4 Picture: Nolan Moya Successfully Almost Returned With Cancer Was For Diagnosed Has Ago, Frankfurt, Three Just
Niamh Conroy has just been through “brutal” cancer treatment in Germany in the hopes of getting two more years with her four children.
She has seen waiting lists and delays become more common in cancer care since her diagnosis in 2022 when she was aged just 44. While she said much remains “brilliant”, she worries the trend is going the other way.
“I’ve unfortunately lost three close friends this year from the group — those of us who were co-founders of Bowel Cancer Ireland, we have lost three,” she said.
“It is beyond devastating to see this happen, this is the reality of our disease. It would be nice to see whatever incoming Government we have look at being pro-active, and not fire-fighting.”
Her cancer which spread to her liver is Stage 4, inoperable and incurable.
Scroll for results in your area
Last month she travelled to Germany for further specialist liver treatment — TACE — supported by her own medical team in this option.
“My consultant knew it was a long shot me getting approved for it here because I’m essentially not dying enough, let’s call a spade a spade,” she explained.
This is more often used in the later stages of treatment here, but she wanted to try while still feeling strong.
“Now I’m definitely looking at anything up to two years without recurrence in my situation. That’s not for everyone,” she said.
She pointed out it cost less than surgery overall.
“It’s interventional radiology which unfortunately is not invested in enough in this country,” she said.
Scans are another frustration, with delays in getting certain scans compounded by a shortage of staff trained to read them.
“People are frequently left six to eight weeks waiting to know what the scan results are, which is terrible,” she said.
“Not for the PET scans, this would be more for MRI and CT scans. I’ve been there myself waiting six weeks plus for a scan result.”
Surgery is another area she would like to see the next Minister for Health target.
She regularly hears from other patients about “delays in getting cancer surgery” now.
“We don’t have enough surgeons in this country and we don’t have enough in terms of the entire team that would work with a surgeon,” she said.
She is being treated at Beaumont Hospital, one of eight cancer centres for adults.
Read More
“So for accessing services I know how lucky I am but I do know people in other parts of the county where it’s not the same,” she said.
“I don’t know is that how money is managed, the way their board works or do they just not get the same funding? It’s hard to read into that except to say that it varies. Cork hospital is brilliant and Beaumont hospital I can say is absolutely brilliant.”
She added: “I’m not saying the others aren’t brilliant but I’d be more inclined to say here are models of how they make it work on a public level.”
Budget 2025 provided extra funding for cancer care, including €3.8m to expand Bowel Screening to ages 58 to 70.
She welcomed this, but said they have seen in their group a wider age-net is urgently needed.
“We need more investment in how we can detect bowel cancer earlier, so we very much welcome that Hiqa is examining this. We hope they will come to a good solution,” she said.