Results 181-200 of 270 for cervical speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Administration (15 May 2018)

Simon Harris: The Government recently announced a comprehensive package of healthcare supports for to the 209 women diagnosed with cervical cancer since 2008 and for whom cytology review recommendations following clinical audit differed from the original test, and their families, including those of the 17 women within the group and who are known to have died. These supports will also be provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Cervical Screening Programme (15 May 2018)

Simon Harris: While I appreciate the need to reassure women in relation to CervicalCheck, the clinical advice from the HSE and my Department is clear that there is no evidence that the clinical and technical aspects of the programme have performed outside or below the quality guidelines set for it, or below international standards. All laboratories contracted by CervicalCheck meet the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...about current events. This has been an intensely difficult time for everyone involved, most importantly the individuals, the women, and their families. The events of the last ten days in relation to CervicalCheck have shaken the confidence of the public and me, as Minister, in the very fundamentals of our healthcare system. Fundamental values of honesty, truth and openness have been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...Mullen has asked some very important questions. The point I was trying to make in the article to which he referred is that the clinical audit related to people who had already been diagnosed with cervical cancer. That is the message we have been trying to communicate for the past two weeks. I did not want any woman watching these debates while sitting at home or in her workplace and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: The truth is what I have just said, that I believe that he is best placed to provide answers, help the scoping enquiry and help the process that CervicalCheck needs to undergo over the next few weeks. On the issue of the labs, Deputy Coppinger has been asking a lot of questions, and I am not suggesting that they are not important. They are important questions. The Deputy also made a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...role of director general into a CEO role. I take the point and the advertisement will be placed very shortly. Reference was made to retests and targeting that group of women. I will refer this directly to CervicalCheck and to Damien McCallion. I will ask him to come back to the committee directly on that. The Deputy has made an important point but I would rather the committee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...other matters so I will get a note for the committee on e-health spending. We will ask the HSE to respond directly on the paediatric services in respect of electives and beds. In respect of the cervical screening issue, I will seek an urgent update from HIQA as to how soon the HTA for HPV for boys will be done. I have already answered about the HPV testing. I am as eager as the Deputy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...to answer it. I love debating this issue. It is an important issue and it is vital that we get the facts and the information out. There is no need - when I am in the middle of dealing with a cervical cancer scandal and trying to reassure women - for people to turn up with an empty podium outside Leinster House and ask where I am and why have I not turned up for the debate. People might...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: To be very clear, the reason I laughed was that I recalled the image last week, in the middle of a cervical cancer scandal, when we were trying to reassure women about their own health, a responsibility with which I, as Minister for Health, was charged, of a photo shoot outside Leinster House with a podium with my name on it asking where I was. I think it was very evident to pretty much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...weird in some ways that it is the first national maternity strategy. We never had one before but we have one now. We have seen, notwithstanding the terrible things that have happened in relation to cervical cancer and screening, that the rate of that cancer has fallen in Ireland each year since the programme was introduced. We have seen progress in breast cancer also. I do not know if...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Since 2008, CervicalCheck has undertaken tendering processes to award contracts for cytology testing of cervical smear tests. Such tendering processes have been undertaken biannually. Yesterday I established a Scoping Inquiry, led by Dr Gabriel Scally, in relation to issues that have arisen at CervicalCheck.  The broad Terms of Reference of the Scoping Inquiry include a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Performance of the cervical screening programme is monitored and reviewed on a on-going basis. Each year approximately 250,000 women have a cervical cancer screening and uptake rates reached the target of 80% in 2017. Over 50,000 pre-cancerous changes have been identified and treated arising from CervicalCheck. Incidence of cervical cancer has fallen by 7% annually since 2010. Meanwhile,...

Health Service Reform: Motion [Private Members] (8 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...is expected in June; and— to continue to develop and expand our aeromedical services and implement the recently published trauma policy.” I wish to begin by thanking the Deputies in the Rural Independent Group for tabling this motion, raising a number of very important matters and providing us with the opportunity to discuss them on the floor of Dáil Éireann. The...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Statements (3 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...Phelan for her courage in bringing this issue to light and acknowledge the important role she has played in highlighting a number of weaknesses in respect of how people have experienced our national cervical screening programme, CervicalCheck. I wish to provide the Seanad with an update on the actions the Government has taken since the full impact of this issue became apparent. As...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Statements (3 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Work has started to ascertain this number now that it transpires that there are cases of cervical cancer known to the national cancer registry that were not known to CervicalCheck. I have directed that immediate steps be taken so that information from the registry can be provided to the CervicalCheck programme on any additional cases of cervical cancer that occurred during this time. The...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not have a number and am not going to give a number to the Oireachtas that could be false. I think we all had the view when we got up this morning that every case of cervical cancer in the cancer registry had been notified to CervicalCheck but that is not the case, based on information given to me before I came in here a few hours ago. I have been here since and have not been able to...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: This is the information on the CervicalCheck website this evening:Q4: Can I get a repeat cervical screening, before my next test is due? The Minister for Health has announced that women can have a repeat cervical screening if they wish to do so. We will set this up shortly and will post details on cervicalcheck.ie as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that cervical screening tests cannot...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: .... I was advised by the Chief Medical Officer very shortly before I came into the Chamber this evening that the work of the serious incident management team, SIMT, the team that has been based in CervicalCheck looking through all of this issue, looking through the audits and ascertaining whether women had or had not been told, had come across this. It is the situation whereby all of the...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: 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...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: ...saved the lives of Irish women. We have seen over 50,000 pre-cancerous cells detected as a result of this programme. We have seen 3 million smears take place. We have seen the mortality rate from cervical cancer decline in this country.