'People have a right to be frustrated. They deserve access to care at the right time,' says MacmillanNI after rise in patients waiting for cancer treatment
The number of people in Northern Ireland waiting more than a month to start cancer treatment is five times higher than a decade ago.
Sarah Christie, Macmillan policy and public affairs manager, told BBC News NI that the figures revealed a "dark insight into a healthcare system that is failing time and again to meet the needs of people living with cancer". "We need a government in place so that change can happen and, crucially, that the three-year budget that had been planned before the executive collapsed can be signed off.Rosemary Liff, 53, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2021 and her surgery was delayed by a week.Speaking to BBC News NI, Rosemary said that compared to other people's situations, a week's delay could sound insignificant, but for her the wait was agonising.