Feehan Hits Out at Department of Health's Delay to Lifesaving Cancer Treatment

Newry City Councillor Killian Feehan has hit out at the Department of Health's response to calls for urgent CAR T-Cell therapy services in Northern Ireland, branding the plans to wait until 2030 or 2031 as unacceptable and out of touch with what patients desperately need.

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The controversy follows a Notice of Motion from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council pushing for the lifesaving treatment to be made available locally, with interim cross-border access to specialist services in the Republic in the meantime. However, correspondence from the Health Minister put forward at last nights October Council meeting confirmed the Department's position hasn't budged, maintaining that services down south are at capacity and that CAR T-Cell therapy won't arrive in Belfast until a new haematology unit is developed sometime between 2030 and 2031.

The SDLP has slammed the response as deeply disappointing and at odds with clinical evidence and what patients actually need right now.

Councillor Feehan didn't hold back in his criticism, saying "The SDLP does not accept the Department of Health's position. Patients and families in Northern Ireland cannot afford to wait until 2031 for access to this lifesaving treatment. We have engaged directly with leading clinicians who are clear that CAR T-Cell therapy could be delivered locally much sooner with the right support and investment."

He went on to point out a major flaw in the Department's reasoning about cross-border access. "The Health Minister's response also fails to acknowledge that new CAR T-Cell therapy services will be operational in Galway by the end of this year — a development which challenges claims that capacity issues in the Republic prevent cross-border access."

The party is now demanding that Stormont's Health Committee properly scrutinise the Department's claims and push for a faster rollout of the treatment in Northern Ireland.

Councillor Feehan wrapped up by making clear his party won't be letting this drop. "We owe it to patients and families facing blood cancers and other life-threatening conditions to deliver this treatment as quickly as possible. The SDLP will not accept unnecessary delay or bureaucratic complacency when lives are at stake."