A woman with breast cancer had to wait six weeks for life-saving treatment, the Sinn Féin leader has told the Dáil.
Speaking during Leaders' Questions, Mary Lou McDonald said the stress and anxiety got worse with each passing day as the woman had to beg for chemotherapy.
During this period, the woman had to go to a hospital emergency department in a state of great pain. It was only at this point that the woman's treatment commenced, the Dáil was told.
Ms McDonald said the case is not an isolated one as many women in Galway are waiting up to seven weeks for their first treatment session.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin responded by saying that he would take up this issue with the health authorities.
Urgent referrals should be seen within ten working days under the current guidelines, the Taoiseach said.
He added that close to €650 million has been invested in cancer drug therapies over the last three or four years.
"We do need to work out the specific issue here," the Taoiseach told the Dáil.
'A country of long waiting lists'
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the health service is "shambolic" with Ireland now a country of long waiting lists.
New National Purchase Treatment Fund figures showed that 900,000 people are waiting for outpatient care or an operation, she told the Dáil.
She said this was a crisis that had unfolded on the Taoiseach's watch with the waiting list action plan patently not working.
Mr Martin rejected the criticism, saying that waiting times were clearly the best measure and the average waiting time was falling.
He said there had been very significant achievements in overall outcome over the past decade. Ireland was one of only seven EU countries where life expectancy had risen to 82, he added.
