Oncologists in the west and northwest regions have called for an end to what they describe as a "two-tier health service" for cancer sufferers.
A packed public meeting in Galway tonight heard how patients in the east of the country had a superior service and better survival outcomes.
There were calls on the Government to deliver on its promise to build a cancer centre in the west.
Cancer patient Maura Blighe, who is 88 years old, was taken in acute pain to University Hospital Galway last week for further tests and spent two days on a trolley in the Emergency Department.
She now has a bed in the hospital, but her son Fred and daughter-in-law Clodagh say she was deeply traumatised by the experience.
"Maura is my mother-in-law and she has gone through cancer treatment already. Then her cancer came back last year. And now she has a sizable tumour and she was experiencing extreme pain last week," Clodagh said.
"And the doctor came to assess her and just said 'you need to go to hospital' and an ambulance was called."
Clodagh said that Ms Blighe had to stay in the emergency department on a trolley for around two days because there was no bed available, which she called a "very frightening experience".
"There was a lot of kerfuffle in the emergency department, so she was located against the wall, beds lined up head to toe, and she was looking out at the entrance where all the people are coming in," she added.
"Someone with a head injury, or a broken arm, they're all coming in one door. It was bright, loud frightening.
So, she did get a bed eventually and she's still there today."
The Blighe family are speaking out to raise awareness of the urgent need for a proper infrastructure to be put in place.
"There is a huge campaign going on for a cancer centre in Galway, which would be fit for purpose. It also frees up those beds for the people who need acute care coming through the emergency department," Clodagh said.
"And it also means that they will be reducing the times waiting for assessment and for treatments.
"It's hugely needed in the west of Ireland. But the west has been left behind unfortunately again."
Fred Blighe said it was inhumane to see his mother on a trolley for two days.
"My mother is very ill and putting an 88-year-old woman on a trolley at this stage of her life is just unacceptable in this day and age. It was very upsetting to see her in an emergency department for two days," he said.
At the meeting tonight, hundreds of people attended and heard oncologists quote from the latest figures showing the west and northwest have the highest mortality rates for cancer in Ireland. They say the Government must address this inequality in cancer outcomes as a matter of urgency.
Alan Hussey, who is a Galway surgeon and a cancer survivor, said that once you "become a patient and you're there 24 hours a day you really see first-hand what is lacking".
"I'm still receiving cancer treatment every three weeks and the reason I'm alive is because of the expertise of phenomenal colleagues working in an environment that's not fit for purpose," Mr Hussey said.
"Cancer patients are amongst the most vulnerable and we really need to give them the care and support that they deserve."
Professor Michael Kerin, Director of Saolta/University of Galway Cancer Network, said that there is a "two-tier health service in this country".
"The Government needs to follow through on its commitment to a Cancer Centre at UHG under the National Development Plan (NDP)," Prof Kerin said.
"There's at least a 6% difference between east and west in terms of the 10-year survival rate from common cancers such as lung and breast.
"Last Christmas, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly promised to improve cancer care in the West. The NDP states: 'in accordance with balanced regional development, a cancer care network for the Saolta region (West, Northwest) with a Cancer Centre at University Hospital Galway with appropriate infrastructure will be delivered'.
"We need a master project team in place to make the hospital functional and fit-for-purpose, and to deliver the emergency programme and cancer programme going forward," Prof Kerin said.
He welcomed the new radiation oncology building at UHG, but said the challenge is delivering a multi-disciplinary cancer programme going forward.
Minister Donnelly has allocated funding in the 2023 Capital Plan to progress the design process for a cancer centre in Galway. However, there has been no specific detail on the timeline so far.
