Refurbished oncology unit unveiled

Plans to hold three clinics a week in the Oncology Unit in Cavan General Hospital were announced by Dr. John McCaffrey, Consultant Oncologist, when he unveiled the new refurbished unit to commemorate its tenth anniversary in the hospital last week. Speaking to The Anglo-Celt, Dr. McCaffrey said the unit in Cavan was one of the top in the country, which was due to the very dedicated staff. "Nurses here lead the way in oncology and excellence has always been produced," he added. Many other units around the country look to Cavan if they encounter problems, he stated. Over the past decade Dr. McCaffrey has been travelling from Dublin once a week to attend the clinic in Cavan. He was delighted to say that plans were at an advanced stage to increase that to three clinics a week. He has great pride in the unit, which had been developed considerably down through the years. "There is a proven track record here but if there are any problems they can be referred to the Mater and dealt with there. That link is vitally important," he added. Dr. McCaffrey emphasised he would not still be attending the unit unless that link was in place. Over the past decade he has seen tremendous changes in the unit and there is great support from the hospital, as well as management. "They are fully behind the unit," he stated. When it was established in 1999, the unit dealt with 170 cases and in 2008 it was 2,743 cases. On average between 40 and 50 cases are dealt with on a weekly basis with patients coming from Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Meath, Westmeath and Longford, he said. The unit plays a vital role in the hospital and Dr. McCaffrey heads up the team. In his address, he paid tribute to all those who made donations to the unit to enable them carry out the refurbishments and make the surroundings most comfortable for patients. Dr. McCaffrey has close ties with Cavan as his father and grandfather were both gardaí and were stationed in Stradone. His grandfather Dan McCaffrey was a sergeant while his father also Dan was a garda who is now retired. He added that his father also worked for the UN and they moved around a lot. Dr. McCaffrey was born in the Middle East and lived there until he was eleven. When he graduated he worked in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York for seven years. He returned to work in the Mater Hospital. "One of our nurses in Cavan, Alice Ryan, and pharmacist Mary Shields also worked there." Having worked in such a major centre has made a great difference to the unit, he added. Eddie Byrne, Director of Nursing, said Dr. McCaffrey and his team of Delia Reilly, Rosemary Smyth, Claire Smith, Margaret Gilmartin and Alice Ryan have put a great effort into establishing the service and they deserve a large proportion of the credit in the achievements to date. The unit has grown over the years and they needed to think about those who use it and the day cases where by patient do not have to make the long journey to other units that were necessary in the past. He thanked Dr. McCaffrey and his colleagues for all their support and guidance over the years as well as the pharmacy, radiology and pathology departments, nursing medical and support staff in the hospital for their continued support to the service. He too thanks the people of the region who supported the unit over the past ten years. There have been huge efforts by many people both as individuals and in groups who had raised large amounts of funds for the unit. One of the driving forces behind Friends of the Oncology Unit, Frances Galligan, said one of their greatest achievements was to obtain charitable status whereby any who donate more than €250, they can claim tax relief. "People have been most generous in making donation in the past year we have received in excess of €100,000." All of the money received goes toward making patients' lives "a little easier". They hope to use some of the money for a taxi service to get people to the unit as well as funding a psychologist. Ms. Galligan also thanked everyone who had made donation and paid special tribute to Judge Sean MacBride for all the money he had sent to the unit via the courts. "People wishing to make donations to the Oncology Unit can call to the hospital or alternatively they can make cheques out to the unit." One of the highlights of the year, according to Francis, is the annual carol service in the hospital. "It started out small but it has mushroomed whereby the out patients section can barely cope with the numbers." They are also indebted to the Cavan Singers for their support. Canon Mark Lidwill and Father Andrew Tully performed an ecumenical blessing at the official opening of the refurbished unit last week.