James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I simply reiterate the question I asked, namely, has the Minister abandoned the public private partnership process? Is that why we are now in a position to deliver the services in 2009 as opposed to 2015, as suggested by Professor Brendan Drumm? It is a specific question to which I would like a yes or no answer.

Second, will we have double reading of mammograms to protect patients from human error, regardless of what international practice may be? I discussed this issue with a professor of radiology today and he could not tell me why it was not done in symptomatic cases which clearly are very serious when it was done in the case of BreastCheck.

Triple assessment means that a patient is examined, has a mammogram and a biopsy which is checked by a pathologist. Otherwise one cannot diagnose or rule out cancer.

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