Dáil debates

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

 

12:15 pm

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. The Tánaiste is right; all of us in this House support medical screening for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. The medical evidence that screening saves lives is overwhelming and we all need to ensure that we encourage men and women to avail of all screening opportunities. In that context, it is essential that we and the public have full confidence in all our screening systems, including CervicalCheck. However, there has been a litany of problems. We know of the suffering and courage of the group of 221 women and we will continue to press the Government to respond to their needs. We now see that 1,000 smears have been compromised over the summer due to delays. The smears were waiting too long in the queue to be examined in the laboratory and now women need to have those smears repeated. In the latest twist that was unveiled yesterday, it appears that a further 6,000 tests, a figure we only received late last night, are compromised due to HPV testing in the same laboratory, which has led to technical problems that, again, require those 6,000 women to endure a repeat test. The delay in getting the cervical smear test is now 22 weeks according to the HSE. If there are problems with the check and a re-check is required, this results in a further delay of 22 weeks. Many women are availing of private healthcare options to get a faster check but that is not an option for everybody. It is another example of the two-tier system. I was contacted by somebody today who said that when she was told about this inordinate delay, she was advised that she could get a fast test if she paid for it.

Delays in CervicalCheck are also causing delays to life-saving procedures. For example, if women are to get a number of other medical procedures such as kidney transplants, they need up-to-date smear tests. The delay in getting that check can cause delays to other life-saving procedures. How much scandal can the screening programme take? We are in favour of screening but the problems besetting CervicalCheck indicate that something is deeply wrong. These problems are further eroding confidence in screening and people are anxious.

On behalf of the Government, can the Tánaiste confirm how much additional funding was allocated to CervicalCheck last year? Will the Government commit to full staffing and funding so that we can get CervicalCheck back on track and delivering the quality service we all want? As a result of what has happened, as an emergency measure will the Government undertake to refund the cost of private checks, which might be of the order of €100 to €200 per patient, to address the backlog and remove the inequality between those who can pay privately and those who cannot?

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