We need help to save our cancer services

8:39am Thursday 1st May 2008

HELP us to save cancer services - "how?" Secrecy deals behind closed doors etc. Westminster "yes," Cornwall county council, NHS PCTs "no."

Withholding information from the general public on matters of genuine public concern is increasingly common place and this cancer fiasco is obviously one such example, and politics, albeit at a local level, are involved.

Seemingly Dr Simon Rule is telling us that mortality rates are higher in Cornwall than Devon, so wouldn't it be fairer to suggest that it is he and his fellow surgeons working here in Cornwall - the RCH Treliske, need to do better rather than have cancer patients transported off to Derriford's centre of excellence.

It is all too easy to pass the buck and I see no valid reason why we here in Cornwall should also have our own centre of excellence in the same way and I would hope every other UK county had theirs - in respect of cancer facilities.

However, in again putting the question "how can we, I, anyone else help" I do so in the light of the four support bodies made mention of in the article, none are to be found listed in the current BT phone directory!

And this says a lot about Cornwall's incompetence and lack of good business acumen and that is the root cause of our ongoingly being taken advantage of by others!

Peter Mahoney Reawla Lane Reawla