Health minister says cancer patients provided with treatment abroad

The health ministry has defended its record in the cure of cancer after Labour's shadow minister for health Marie Louise Coleiro Preca accused the government of having ignored warnings of burgeoning demand for cancer treatment.

In a statement, Coleiro Preca said the government had ignored advice from oncology consultants to cater for increased demand for thyroid and gynaecological cancer treatment and increase the facilities at Boffa Hospital's radio-isotope unit.

"This unit has now been closed for eight weeks, ostensibly for works to commence on increasing the facilities, but so far no work has even started," Coleiro Preca said. "While the government says it has promised patients that they will be flown abroad for their treatment, there is a considerable number of patients who have now been waiting for months for thyroid and gynae treatment."

On his part, health minister Joe Cassar said the radioactive iodine treatment was a particular kind of treatment serving to keep patients in isolation for days after radiotherapy.

"The government has already made arrangements to have patients needing this service to b flown overseas, and eight patients have already been given this treatment while four patients will be going in the next two weeks, and more patients in the coming weeks."

Cassar said the health department had requested a permit from the radiation protection board to change a number of practices that will allow increased treatment of patients, the process of which he said required more time since a study was needed to evaluate the risks of radioactivity. "In the meantime, the new Oncology Centre being built for this purpose will have two rooms for this kind of treatment."

Cassar also said the government had initiated a breast-screening programme, apart from commission a new oncology centre as part of a national cancer plan.