Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fáilte arís a Aire Stáit. I thank Dr. Scally and his team and, in particular, the women who contributed to the report. Their evidence and testimony were invaluable to this process, as well as to the final conclusions contained in the report. The women were beyond brave and have done a great public service by sharing their experiences. The past and present scandals of our State, which seem to be for ever unfolding, are discussed and uncovered by the bravery of people such as Catherine Corless, Vicky Phelan, Emma Mhic Mhathúna and Stephen Teap.

Women's health in Ireland has a history of shame. It is not just about the treatment of women socially, it is also in the context of our healthcare and treatment. These women, however, refused to be bought off. They were defiant and they refused to be silent. We all owe them so much and I thank them. I urge women to stay engaged with the screening programme and to have their smear tests. Screening saves lives. We must never lose an opportunity to remind women that, notwithstanding what they read in the press, they should engage with the service.

Dr. Scally states that the biggest failure that he identified in his four-month review was the non-disclosure of information from CervicalCheck audits to the patients. This is the most important finding and it should now be legislated for. Just prior to the recess, I introduced the Civil Liability (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill in respect of mandatory disclosure. Unfortunately, it was defeated by Fine Gael by a single vote. Always opposed to making open disclosure a voluntary concept, we have attempted to bring legislation through this House on several occasions. I very much look forward to working with the Minister to finally have his patient safety legislation enacted.

I thought we had entered the age of enlightenment. I thought we had moved away from superstition. It was a throwback to when I was a very young woman and I worked part-time in Our Lady's Hospice. Not one of the patients there were told they were dying, but if a person went to the hospice he or she knew it was a place to die. People were not told what they had, be it cancer or whatever. Shamefully, one was to say prayers for them. That was the treatment; prayers. Medication that might ease a painful death was withheld. As a young woman, I found this incredible. A painful death was supposed to give a person an advancement in heaven. I thought we had come through the enlightenment and I thought we had got through those days but it is still the case that patients are not involved in their treatment or care plans and nor are they allowed to lead matters and state what they want to do. These are seriously ill patients. Many of them are dying and they do not know why that is the case. I find it incredible that nobody would talk to such a patient about his or her end of life. Even for the 18 women that we have lost through this scandal, there was nobody talking about end of life and it was kept quiet. I had hoped that we had moved a lot further.

On foot of the Scally report, we know that one of the laboratories, Clinical Pathology Laboratories, CPL, outsourced part of its work to four other laboratories that were not accredited or certified to the standards demanded by CervicalCheck. In the context of the outsourcing of contracts, questions arise regarding the rollover of tenders and procurement. This is an aspect which, I am sure, the Committee of Public Accounts will examine. I also echo the call of my party colleague, Deputy Louise O'Reilly, that HIQA should have an oversight role in respect of any laboratory involved.

Scandalously, the report was leaked before the women involved could be properly briefed and prepare themselves. I am aware that the Minister agrees with this sentiment. In the Dáil, the Minister stated that he hopes the Taoiseach will investigate this leak. I wonder if we can get an update in this regard. It is morally and absolutely wrong.The responsibility was shirked by the Department and by the media, which was disrespectful. It was grabbing headlines and doing other nefarious things the Department wanted done in order to take the shine off it. I am not too sure why that was done, but obviously there were other issues around at the time. In the latter part of the report Dr. Scally also mentioned the glaring lack of grace and compassion. We should dare to believe that it is possible to possess grace and compassion. I hope misogyny is not endemic in the health services, but this has unfortunately come to light in the treatment of women with cervical cancer and, perhaps, women with other health difficulties when they attend.

I reiterate what I say so often in this House, which comes from my experience on the ground as a nurse; public participation at all levels of healthcare is vital. If we have more public participation in the top tiers and at the top tables of the HSE and of the strategy and steering groups, accountability will follow. I welcome the fact that the Minister will meet those affected by this report and that he has committed to this ethos throughout the implementation of all 50 recommendations. Dr. Scally has offered to continue to work for the next 12 months on the delivery and to oversee the delivery from an external point of view. That is also to be welcomed. Citizens and women demand assurances that this will not happen ever again.

The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is due to publish its report soon. We will we be led by this report and by the victims themselves if they believe that a commission of investigation is warranted. The Minister of State spoke about the HPV vaccine, which is slightly off-topic but it saves lives by preventing cases of cervical cancer. I have always been an advocate of this science, which will protect our young women and men. The uptake has increased significantly over the period of this scandal, which has raised awareness. We need herd protection and to get the uptake back up to 90% or so. Now that the schools are back for the new term, will the Minister of State come back to us with details of the percentage of our young people who are taking up the HPV vaccine?