McGrath says urgent response needed to address cancer deaths in deprived areas
SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson, South Down MLA Colin McGrath, has said that urgent action is needed to address the high level of cancer deaths in deprived parts of the North.
Colin McGrath was speaking following the publication of Cancer Research UK’s Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation report.
It found cancer death rates are around 45% higher for people living in the North’s most deprived areas.
South Down MLA Mr McGrath said: “The findings from this report are shocking, that you are almost 50% more likely to die from cancer if you live in a deprived part of the North is something that the Health Minister and department needs to take stock of, this cannot be ignored.
“There are many reasons for this increased death rate, including the prevalence of smoking and other lifestyle factors, but there can be steps taken to address this whether in the form of public information campaigns or ensuring that people in deprived areas have the same access to healthcare as everywhere else.
“Nobody should have a higher chance of dying from this awful disease simply because of where they live.
“Cancer Research UK have put forward a number of proposals that our Health Minister should engage with.
“These include a lung cancer screening programme that would give patients the best chance of early detection.
“There is also a wider issue around our health service’s failure to meet its treatment time targets once patients are diagnosed.
“The last time our 31-day treatment target was met was in 2013, while the 62-day treatment target has not been met since 2008.
“We are seeing increasing numbers of people diagnosed with cancer in the North every year and it’s clear that an overhaul is needed to give each and every patient the best chance of survival.
“At the heart of this issue is the need for health service transformation, but also the many simple interventions outlined in this research that would make a big difference to patients, no matter where they live.”
