Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No one is suggesting that it was not a good thing to offer the additional smear tests but I take issue with the fact that the Minister did not resource them properly or provide the necessary capacity to deal with them. The GP system is already overwhelmed. The waiting time has increased from six weeks to 20 weeks. Even if one can get a colposcopy appointment within four or eight weeks, one is still waiting 20 weeks to get the smear test result back, which means the wait to get the biopsy done is far longer. When the biopsy is done, one needs a histologist to look at the sample and we do not have enough histologists to examine the samples, which means the waiting time for colposcopy results are increasing. After all of that one must try to get an appointment to see a consultant to get treatment.

The big scandal with CervicalCheck was mainly to do with disclosure and not telling people about their misdiagnosed smear test results. What we have now brewing is the possibility that somebody waiting a significant additional time to get results back from a smear test could find themselves waiting much longer to get a colposcopy, have their biopsy looked at and a far greater time wait to see a consultant. All of that does pose a risk to women, even if it is to a small number of them; it does not matter if it is only one. Having conversations is not really an adequate response. Where are those conversations going and when will the Minister have additional capacity? When will we see the waiting time reduced from 20 weeks back to the five or six weeks that used to be the case?

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