A Co Fermanagh pensioner waiting months for skin cancer treatment says he is now worried he will have to find thousands to pay for private healthcare.
John McGahey (75) from near Enniskillen first raised his concerns with The Irish News last month, stating that a growth on his face has doubled in size since he first visited his GP in March.
He has since had consultations in Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital in May, when he was told it was growing quickly and needed removed, and in June when he was informed it was a squamous cell carcinoma and that he would be called back in “a few weeks” to have it removed.
Sinn Féin MP Pat Cullen has now described Mr McGahey’s wait for treatment and the lack of communication from the Western Trust as “unacceptable”.
Information from the NHS states that squamous cell carcinoma is a slow growing form of skin cancer, with the most common treatment to remove the growth which may need a skin graft to repair the wound.
John McGahey has said he is debating whether to opt for costly private treatment. PICTURE: RONAN MCGRADE
Commenting this week, Mr McGahey said he was still feeling “ignored” and treated with “contempt” by the Western Trust.
“I’ve received no follow up from Altnagelvin and I phoned the consultant’s office twice,” he said.
“I’m now 12 weeks on an urgent waiting list. On June 22 a scan showed it was 10mm, requiring a 20mm removal area.
“Today, it’s grown to 20mm and requiring a 30mm removal area. They haven’t bothered their barney about me.”
Mr McGahey said the lack of updates has left him wondering if he should now try to pay for private treatment.
“I was thinking of going private but I don’t have a good pension to be honest,” he said.
“I started work at 16 in 1967 as a brick layer and worked for 50 years paying my bills, I built my own home and this is the thanks you get.
“If you go private something like this it could cost up to £4,000 for a skin graft when it’s got to this size.
“My family are very concerned. People are looking at me and they’re concerned about it.”
Asides from the stress of waiting for his treatment, Mr McGahey said managing his condition was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t feel too bad during the day, the problem is going to bed at night,” he explained.
“My pillow cases are soaked with blood in the morning from it. When I shower the towel there’s blood all over the towel.
“I’m 12 weeks on an urgent waiting list. Am I going to have to wait around for another two to three weeks?
“There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Sinn Fein MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Pat Cullen (Liam McBurney/PA)
Ms Cullen told The Irish News: “While there has been a lot of back-slapping around reductions in waiting lists, the reality for patients can be very different.
“Mr McGahey is a constituent who has been left waiting an unacceptable length of time to have a cancerous growth removed at Altnagelvin Hospital.
“To make matters worse, there has been a lack of proper communication with him about when he can expect his surgery.
“This is not just a statistic. This is a man living with cancer, waiting for treatment that he should not have to chase for answers about.”
Stating that the system had let him down, Ms Cullen said she would continue to raise Mr McGahey’s case directly with the Western Trust.
A trust spokesperson said they had passed on Mr McGahey’s concerns to the Maxo Facial Service and urged him to contact the trust directly, but could not comment further due to patient confidentiality.
Those with concerns about their care are also encouraged to contact the trust’s Comment and Complaints system.