Cancer patients from Donegal will be able to access treatment at a new state of the art centre in Belfast under a cross border arrangement agreed by the health departments in Dublin and Belfast.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Health made the announcement in Belfast following a meeting with her Stormont counterpart, Shaun Woodward.
Mary Harney said she expected that about 100 cancer patients a year from the northwest would get radiotherapy treatment in the centre which will based at the City Hospital in Belfast.
The new facility, said to be one of the best in Europe, will have all the latest cancer treatment equipment and specially trained staff.
The minister said her department would provide transport for cancer patients from Donegal wishing to avail of treatment in Belfast.
The Belfast centre is due to open next march, and work will begin soon in putting in place the clinical and medical arrangements needed to facilitate the cross border treatment service.
The two ministers also discussed plans for a joint cross-border initiative on suicide prevention.
