Dáil debates

Tuesday, 1 May 2018

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements

 

9:45 pm

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept the concerns Deputy Bríd Smith has raised, the sincerity with which she has raised them and the legitimacy of looking at them.

CervicalCheck published information on the company's website tonight as follows:

Our cervical screening samples are sent to one of three contracted laboratories. One of these in the US and two are in Ireland. The reason we use a US laboratory is because we do not have enough certified laboratories in Ireland.

The laboratories are:

Quest Diagnostics Inc, Teterboro, New Jersey, USA

MedLab Pathology Ltd, Dublin and

the Coombe Women and Infant’s Hospital, Dublin.

All three laboratories meet our quality assurance standards and are certified by national authorities. Every sample is checked by at least two screening staff.

The laboratories are also accredited to ISO 15189 standard or equivalent. This standard ensures that there are robust quality control procedures in place.

The laboratory involved in the case reported in the media, CPL, is not one of the laboratories currently used by CervicalCheck.

All of these issues, including the reconfiguration of our laboratories, have been moved to human papillomavirus testing. That is an active issue that should be looked at and will be looked at. We should be careful in raising these concerns that we do not cause widespread fear or panic about a programme that I believe we all support. I appreciate the support of Deputies in this regard.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.