Cost over-run on Children’s Hospital could have paid for entire National Cancer Strategy – Mattie McGrath

Independent TD and General Election candidate Mattie McGrath and has said that the scale of the financial waste associated with the National Children’s Hospital can be effectively measured by comparing it with the total cost of implementing the National Cancer Strategy. Deputy McGrath was speaking this morning to mark World Cancer Day which aims to highlight the need to put renewed emphasis on cancer prevention, diagnostic and treatment services:

“Information provided by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, has shown that the cost of implementing the National Cancer Strategy will require in the region of €840 million up to 2026.

Yet the cost over-run of the National Children’s Hospital will likely be double that before it is completed.

This demonstrates the catastrophic impact that the National Children’s Hospital fiasco is going to have on the delivery of vital health services like cancer prevention and treatment.

It also totally undermines the claims that are being made by the Minister and the government that they can be trusted to deliver the roll-out of a world class health service for all of our people.

Instead what we have seen is €840 million-the total spend required for the National Cancer Strategy-shoved into the hands of multi-national contractors assigned to the Children’s Hospital when that money could have been used to speed up the delivery of the Cancer Strategy.

On World Cancer Day this Minister for Health should hang his head in shame for the waste that he and his government colleagues have presided over,” concluded Deputy Mattie McGrath.


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