Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
Subscribe Today!
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Concerns over lack of access to Rapid Access Prostate Clinic for Donegal patients
Cllr Declan Meehan explained that the issue only emerged after local GPs noticed extended wait times and raised the matter informally with colleagues and staff at University Hospital Galway
Reporter:
Contributor
19 Jan 2026 8:20 AM
Email:
news@donegallive.ie
Cllr Declan Meehan, member of the Regional Health Forum, has raised serious concerns about the ongoing lack of effective access to the Rapid Access Prostate Clinic for patients from Donegal.
This follows informal reports from GPs that the service in Galway has been “effectively suspended” due to inadequate resources.
The Rapid Access Prostate Clinic is a fundamental part of the National Cancer Control Programme, designed to provide fast-track assessment and diagnosis for men with suspected prostate cancer. According to national service documentation, the aim of the Rapid Access Prostate Clinic is to see patients within 20 days of receipt of referral from their GP.
“This is a time-sensitive pathway,” Cllr Meehan said. “The Irish national guidelines are clear that men referred by their GPs should be seen within the target timeframe so that prostate cancer can be excluded or diagnosed as quickly as possible. Yet GPs in Donegal are telling me patients are being left waiting with no official communication from HSE management.”
Cllr Meehan explained that the issue only emerged after local GPs noticed extended wait times and raised the matter informally with colleagues and staff at University Hospital Galway. “No direct contact has been made with GPs about the delays, nor have GPs been given alternative arrangements for their patients. This is simply unacceptable given that 91% of referrals to the clinic come from GPs,” he said.
The Rapid Access Prostate Clinics were established as part of the National Cancer Control Programme to reduce delays and improve outcomes for patients nationwide. These clinics enable GPs to refer eligible men directly for assessment and potential biopsy, bypassing lengthy general urology waiting lists.
“The very purpose of these clinics is early diagnosis,” Cllr Meehan continued. “GPs tell me that patients in Donegal are now waiting far longer than the national target. We need urgent clarity from HSE management on the current operation, workload, and future of this clinic.”
In a letter sent on Friday to HSE management both locally and regionally, Cllr Meehan has demanded explanation and immediate corrective action.
“We were promised that when Galway was chosen as a centre of excellence it would deliver the best possible outcome for all patients, including those from Donegal. Instead, patients here are treated like the poor cousin — with some of the worst access to critical cancer diagnostic services in the country and as a result some of the poorest outcomes for cancer patients in the country.
“Cancer diagnostic wait times are not just statistics — they represent real anxiety, real fear, and potentially delayed treatment or lives lost. I urge the HSE to provide us with answers and to ensure that the resources necessary are put in place now so that no patient has to wait longer than the guidelines intend.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
4
To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism!
Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.
Subscribe
To continue reading this article for FREE, please kindly register and/or log in.
Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!
With dark evenings closing in, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a hot chocolate, a cosy blanket, and the November/December edition of Donegal Life
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy a paper
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
