Cllr Sinead Flynn is calling on the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and the HSE to urgently lower the age thresholds for cancer screening in Ireland and to increase the frequency of those screenings.
Cllr Flynn is also calling for a fully funded hospice in Co Monaghan that provides dignity and peace for those in their final days and support for the families left behind.
In Ireland today, one in two people will get cancer in their lifetime.
The Sinn Fein representative put forward a motion at the most recent sitting of Monaghan County Council asking that the Minister and the HSE bring BreastCheck and BowelScreen down to age 45.
Cllr Flynn also believes it's important to begin CervicalCheck from age 23, and to review the screening intervals to make sure they reflect modern risk.
She says these calls are about fairness, science and most of all, it's about saving lives.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Flynn said; "Over 45,000 cases are diagnosed every year. More than 9,000 people die. That’s 25 people every single day. And the trend is moving younger.
Other countries are acting. Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden have already reduced their screening ages. Why are we waiting?
"I am calling on the Minister and the HSE to bring BreastCheck and BowelScreen down to age 45, to begin CervicalCheck from age 23, and to review the screening intervals to make sure they reflect modern risk. This is about fairness. It’s about science. But most of all, it’s about saving lives.
"There’s another part of this motion and it’s just as vital. Because when treatment ends, or when hope fades, people need care, comfort, and dignity at the end of life. In Monaghan, we have no hospice. Families facing terminal illness are left travelling long distances or receiving limited support at home. That is not compassionate care, that is neglect of rural communities.
"We need a dedicated hospice in County Monaghan. Not a promise. Not a plan. A real, fully funded hospice that provides dignity and peace for those in their final days and support for the families left behind. This is not a luxury. It is a basic right, to have access to early cancer screening, and to compassionate end-of-life care. And I’m asking this Council to send a strong, united message to the Minister for Health and the HSE. The people of Monaghan deserve better. We will not accept less."
