Health

Cancer patients in west of Ireland set to lose surgery option after resignation of Galway consultant

Paul Carroll said he came back from Canada ‘with assurances’ from hospital management but now has no alternative but to move to Sligo for family reasons

'Temporary solutions in Galway have been explored but in reality they kick the can down the road and they don’t solve the systemic issues,' the consultant said

Paul Cullen
Mon May 6 2024 - 13:27

Cancer patients in the west and northwest region may no longer be able to avail of some types of minimally invasive operations following the resignation of the only surgeon doing this work.

Paul Carroll took to social media to announce his resignation as an upper gastrointestinal cancer surgeon at Galway University Hospitals “with some reluctance and no little sadness”.

He is moving to Sligo General Hospital, which is not a specialised cancer centre, to work as a general surgeon. He is leaving his current post later this month and will not start in Sligo, where he lives and his wife works as a consultant, until the autumn.

Confirming the move, he told The Irish Times: “I will remain continuously humbled by the trust given to me by patients under my care. It has been among my proudest achievements to have worked so closely with the best nurses, oncologists, ICU teams and surgeons to provide care for patients in Galway.

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“I am sorry we will not continue together. I look forward to new directions and providing surgical services in Sligo.”

In his earlier post on X, formerly Twitter, Dr Carroll said: “I will be moving to Sligo to work as a general surgeon. I will not be permitted to treat the cancers I have spent 15 years training towards and five years practising as a consultant surgeon. This is my choice so I can be home with my family.”

Dr Carroll said he came back from Canada “with assurances and guarantees” from hospital management and spent five years building up a minimally invasive oesophageal and gastric cancer programme with the support of colleagues.

These kinds of cancers are among the most difficult to treat, with relatively poor survival rates. Dr Carroll is the only person in Ireland providing minimally invasive treatment for a swallowing disorder known as per oral endoscopic myotomy (Poem).

He is also the only surgeon delivering an endoscopic ultrasound/endoscopic submucosal dissection programme for early oesophageal and gastric cancers. “There will now be no one in the entire west/northwest of Ireland performing these types of cancer surgeries in their minimally invasive forms,” he said.

I am grateful for the amazing nurses and allied healthcare teams that I have worked with to care for my patients

—  Dr Paul Carroll

In Galway, he carried out up to 15 Poem treatments and 50-60 resections a year. Getting access to sufficient operating theatre time was a continuous source of frustration, it is understood.

Dr Carroll, who is from Dublin, gave notice of his intention to leave last November, after which discussions took place with management about a variety of working arrangements.

“I love what I do. It has been a privilege to be invited to care for people with some of the worst types of cancers. I am grateful for the amazing nurses and allied healthcare teams that I have worked with to care for my patients,” he said.

“Temporary solutions in Galway have been explored but in reality they kick the can down the road and they don’t solve the systemic issues. I have no answers as to what happens next for upper GI cancer care in the west and this saddens me. Any inquiries need to be directed to hospital management.”

Saolta hospital group, which covers hospitals in the west and northwest, said that while “we cannot comment on HR issues related to an individual staff member, we will be seeking to replace this post and will make arrangements for patients in the interim. We will be contacting patients directly in this regard”.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.

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