Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has welcomed the launch of the Cancer Strategy Consultation.

The chair of the health committee said:

“Projections for the future tell us that by 2040 cancer rates across the north will double on today’s statistics.

“We need to be prepared for that scenario.

“I welcome the launch of the consultation, and I urge everyone across our communities to have their say in what cancer services should look like in the future.

“Currently cancer services are inadequate in meeting the needs of patients and increasingly, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, long waiting lists are putting the lives of many cancer patients at risk.

“The ten-year cancer strategy must result in the provision of equitable and timely cutting edge cancer treatments that meet the needs of all patients.

“It must also address the deep inequalities that have developed in accessing treatment.

“The Department of Health must  begin in earnest to collaborate with other departments to address the  inequalities that worsen outcomes in our more deprived communities.”