The only surgeon in Ireland offering certain types of minimally invasive operations for cancer patients residing in the west and northwestern region has resigned. Dr. Paul Carroll, who served as an upper gastrointestinal cancer surgeon at Galway University Hospitals, has declared his resignation via social media, expressing a degree of reluctance and a certain measure of sorrow.
Dr. Carroll is bound for Sligo General Hospital, a facility not specialised in cancer treatment, where he is slated to work as a general surgeon. He intends to leave his current position later in the month and commence his new role in Sligo in the autumn. Sligo is where he lives and where his wife serves patients as a consultant.
Professing regret that his journey with his current colleagues and patients is coming to an end, Dr. Carroll expressed his anticipation for new opportunities and delivering surgical services in Sligo. In an earlier statement on a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, he revealed plans of his relocating to Sligo as a general surgeon, renouncing his capacity to treat cancers he has been training for 15 years and practicing as a consultant for half a decade, aiming to spend more time at home with his family.
Returning from Canada with promises from hospital management, he’d developed a programme for minimally invasive interventions for oesophageal and gastric cancers over a span of five years. Such cancers, gruelling to treat, have less than satisfactory survival rates. Furthermore, Dr. Carroll is the only professional administering minimally invasive treatment for a swallowing disorder called per oral endoscopic myotomy (Poem) in Ireland. As he steps down, nobody will be left to conduct minimally invasive cancer surgeries in the western and northwestern parts of Ireland.
As he reflected on his tenure, Dr. Carroll extended his gratitude to the incredible nurses and healthcare teams he has partnered with in caring for his patients.
In Galway, it is reported that he performed as many as 15 Poem procedures and between 50 to 60 resections annually. The constant struggle to secure enough time in the operating theatre has been a recurring frustration, it’s believed.
Hailing from Dublin, Dr Carroll formally announced his impending departure last November. Subsequently, he started having conversations with the higher-ups about various work schemas.
“Playing my role in medical care is something I truly enjoy. It’s been an honour to be entrusted with the care of patients suffering from some of the most severe cancer forms. I am thankful for the excellent nursing and healthcare teams I’ve had the pleasure of working with in caring for my patients,” he declared.
“Albeit, temporary measures have been examined in Galway, but they just postpone the inevitable and fail to address the inherent problems. I’m at a loss about the future of upper GI cancer care in the western region and this deeply saddens me. Any questions should be directed to the hospital’s management.”
The Saolta Hospital Group, overseeing the administration of hospitals in the west and northwest, made no comment in response to a request for feedback over the weekend.