A LOCAL councillor has raised serious concerns about the ongoing lack of effective access to the Rapid Access Prostate Clinic for patients from Donegal.
Cllr Declan Meehan, who is a member of the Regional Health Forum, voiced his concerns yesterday following informal reports from GPs that the service in Galway has been “effectively suspended” due to inadequate resources.
The Rapid Access Prostate Clinic is a fundamental part of the National Cancer Control Programme, designed to provide fast-track assessment and diagnosis for men with suspected prostate cancer.
According to national service documentation, the aim of the Rapid Access Prostate Clinic is to see patients within 20 days of receipt of referral from their GP.
“This is a time-sensitive pathway,” Cllr Meehan said.
“The Irish national guidelines are clear that men referred by their GPs should be seen within the target timeframe so that prostate cancer can be excluded or diagnosed as quickly as possible.
“Yet GPs in Donegal are telling me patients are being left waiting with no official communication from HSE management.”
Cllr Meehan explained that the issue only emerged after local GPs noticed extended wait times and raised the matter informally with colleagues and staff at University Hospital Galway.
“No direct contact has been made with GPs about the delays, nor have GPs been given alternative arrangements for their patients,” Cllr Meehan continued.
“This is simply unacceptable given that 91 per cent of referrals to the clinic come from GPs.”
The Rapid Access Prostate Clinics were established as part of the National Cancer Control Programme to reduce delays and improve outcomes for patients nationwide.
These clinics enable GPs to refer eligible men directly for assessment and potential biopsy, bypassing lengthy general urology waiting lists.
“The very purpose of these clinics is early diagnosis,” Cllr Meehan said.
“GPs tell me that patients in Donegal are now waiting far longer than the national target.
“We need urgent clarity from HSE management on the current operation, workload, and future of this clinic.”
In a letter sent on Friday to HSE management both locally and regionally, Cllr Meehan has demanded explanation and immediate corrective action.
“We were promised that when Galway was chosen as a centre of excellence it would deliver the best possible outcome for all patients, including those from Donegal,” he said.
“Instead, patients here are treated like the poor cousin — with some of the worst access to critical cancer diagnostic services in the country and as a result some of the poorest outcomes for cancer patients in the country.
“Cancer diagnostic wait times are not just statistics — they represent real anxiety, real fear, and potentially delayed treatment or lives lost.
“I urge the HSE to provide us with answers and to ensure that the resources necessary are put in place now so that no patient has to wait longer than the guidelines intend.”
