Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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297. To ask the Minister for Health the laboratories and-or hospitals in which screening tests for colon cancer are carried out; the number carried out since 2010 in each of these locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29562/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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BowelScreen - the National Bowel Screening Programme commenced in 2012. The National Screening Service (NSS) have advised that the primary screening tool for BowelScreen is the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), which operates on an automated testing platform. The FIT looks for blood in a stool sample which may indicate the presence of abnormal growths in the bowel which can become cancer. It is important to note that the FIT test itself cannot screen for colon cancer.

The National Screening Service (NSS) have advised that all FIT tests are examined by MedLab Pathology. An abnormal FIT result suggests that there may be bleeding within the gastrointestinal tract that requires further investigation. Those with an abnormal result are then invited for further testing via a colonoscopy at a hospital-based screening colonoscopy unit. The colonoscopy units which currently provide colonoscopies on behalf of BowelScreen are based in 14 hospitals across the country. They are:

1. Clonmel Hospital;

2. Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown;

3. Ennis Hospital;

4. University Hospital Galway;

5. Kerry General Hospital;

6. Letterkenny University Hospital;

7. Louth County Hospital;

8. Mater Misericordiae University Hospital;

9. Mercy University Hospital Cork;

10. Roscommon Hospital;

11. St James’ Hospital Dublin;

12. Sligo General Hospital;

13. St Vincent’s University Hospital; and

14. Wexford General Hospital.

Figures that follow show the activity related to the screening and diagnostic testing elements of the screening process. BowelScreen began inviting men and women to participate in the national bowel screening programme in October 2012, hence the reason for the provision of figures from this date.

Colonoscopies carried out by hospital-based screening colonoscopy units, 01/10/2012 - 30/06/2018