Covid-19 will have a devastating impact on cancer services for years to come, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday, chairperson of the IMO’s Consultant Committee, Dr Clive Kilgallon, explained that during the first wave of the pandemic in March and April of last year, referrals for breast and lung cancer rapid access clinics fell by one-third, while referrals for prostate cancer fell by a half.

He said that while referrals have recovered, they remain significantly below 2019 levels, particularly for lung and prostate cancer.

Dr Kilgallon also noted that many patients have experienced delays in accessing services. For example, in September 2020, just 60% of new patients attending rapid access breast, lung and prostate clinics were seen within the recommended timeframe.

Meanwhile, during the first three months of 2021, 450 people per month were not seen within the recommended four weeks for an urgent colonoscopy, compared to just 15 per month pre-Covid.

Dr Kilgallon also pointed out that treatment activity has been significantly affected, with 2020 activity in medical, radiation and surgical oncology services falling well below 2019 levels. Chemotherapy activity fell by 12% in 2020 when compared with 2019, while radiation therapy fell by 10%.

Non-urgent cancer care has also declined. For example, in 2020, there were over 36,000 fewer elective cancer admissions compared with 2019.

Also speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee, chairman of the IMO’s GP Committee, Dr Denis McCauley, said that a number of things need to be done to tackle this issue.

He called for the development of a national public heath messaging campaign to help patients identify the signs and symptoms of different cancers, to encourage people to visit their GP if they notice any of these, and to attend hospital appointments.

He also called for the urgent and rapid expansion of access to diagnostic facilities, such as endoscopy and laboratory services, and for an increase in the number of consultants across all services.

One in five consultant posts are currently unfiled or are filled on a temporary basis. Furthermore, an additional 1,600-2,000 consultant posts are required to meet current population needs.

Dr McCauley also called for:

-An increase in capacity, including additional ICU and inpatients beds

-Additional resources to support follow-on care in general practice for cancer patients where appropriate

-More investment in secure IT systems, including a rollout of the unique patient identifier.