‘Postcode lottery' for essential medical service criticised by Roscommon woman

A ‘postcode lottery’ for an essential medical service in the county has been criticised.

Monksland resident Melanie Hudson told the Herald that she has lymphedema, which causes swelling in the body's tissues, as a result of surgery and treatment for breast cancer. This condition requires a treatment called manual lymphatic drainage (MLD). Currently in County Roscommon, the HSE has nobody trained to deliver this treatment. Ironically for the South Roscommon woman the service is available in Clonbrusk Primary Care Centre just across the River Shannon in Athlone, but Melanie cannot access it because she lives in County Roscommon.

“What's even more extraordinary is the fact that the service is actually not available in the whole of County Roscommon,” she said.

She added that these examples of “postcode lottery” were not fair as services should be based on need and not location.

Ms Hudson explained that she was diagnosed in 2022, after detecting a lump, and she praised the treatment she received.

“What happens then after that, you completely fall off a cliff in terms of follow up appointments. There is a complete reliance on organisations like the East Galway & Midlands Cancer Support group,” she said. “And a lot of them receive very little state funding. It is not good enough, it should be available in every HSE area in the country.” 

Lack of access to this treatment could result in infection and other conditions, which could require hospitalisation, she continued. Ms Hudson added that she had been told by the HSE that there was no one trained in MLD in the county.

“This is a woman’s health issue, it’s a rural health issue and I am not going to stop campaigning for it,” she said.

Speaking to the Herald, Fianna Fáil TD Dr Martin Daly said he would be raising the issue with the minister for health and the HSE.

“It is a hugely important service for people who have conditions like chronic lymphedema,” he said. “It is very perplexing that there is a service in Athlone town that she can’t avail of. I have always believed that services should be universal, that they should not be based on geography, and that people should be able to obtain the most accessible service in relation to their needs.”