A new cancer treatment centre in Derry will create 215 jobs, it was revealed today.
The £50m radiotheraphy centre at Altnagelvin Hospital will transform cancer treatment for people living in a large area of the north west.
At present, cancer patients in Derry and the wider Western Trust area have to travel to Belfast for radiotheraphy treatment.
When the new Altnagelvin centre opens later this year, they will be able to receive this treatment in Derry.
The new cancer centre will also treat patients from Donegal who currently have to travel to Galway or Dublin for treatment.
It is the first cross-border health initiative of its kind.
The Irish government has provided 19 million euro towards the cost of the centre which will cover an area with a population of around 500,000 people.
At a press briefing today, more details were revealed about the new cancer treatment centre at Altnagelvin.
Alan Moore, director of Strategic Capital Development at the Western Trust, said it was planned that the construction work would be completed by the summer, with the first treatments being administered by the autumn.
Mr Moore said he did not want to tie the project down to a specific opening date, but added that the work was progressing according to the planned programme.
Mr Moore said a number of the 215 staff needed to run the new centre had already been recruited, with the rest of the staff taking up their posts in the next few months.
He said all these positions were new jobs and added that staff had been recruited for the Altnagelvin centre from throughout the world.
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