- Minister Harris must guarantee that no other women face court proceedings to identify flaws in the system -
Fianna Fáil Seanad Group Leader, Senator Catherine Ardagh has said that the scandalous mismanagement of sensitive and important information by Cervical Check is symptomatic of the shameful approach adopted by the HSE to deal with system failures.
The Dublin based Senator raised the matter during Order of Business in Seanad Éireann earlier this afternoon.
She stated, “Women across Dublin who have, up until last week, placed their faith in the Cervical Check are now justifiably concerned about their own experiences with the national screening programme, and particularly with the results of their smear tests.
“The scandalous mismanagement of such sensitive and important information has heightened anxiety among thousands of women across Dublin. It is a damning indictment of the HSE’s approach to responding to system failures that it took the ordeal which Vicky Phelan was put through in order for the public to learn of the broader errors.
“It is a chilling fact too that as many as 17 women at the centre of the Cervical Check controversy have passed away without full knowledge of their diagnosis. It is imperative that women who received delayed diagnoses are not forced through the courts process to establish the details of what happened in these cases.
“The public rightfully expect the full disclosure of what mistakes were made by Cervical Check and how. Minister Simon Harris must ensure that the independent inquiry announced by the Government is established without delay and that a detailed report on the controversy is published as soon as possible,” concluded Senator Ardagh.
Fianna Fáil Seanad Group Leader, Senator Catherine Ardagh has said that the scandalous mismanagement of sensitive and important information by Cervical Check is symptomatic of the shameful approach adopted by the HSE to deal with system failures.
The Dublin based Senator raised the matter during Order of Business in Seanad Éireann earlier this afternoon.
She stated, “Women across Dublin who have, up until last week, placed their faith in the Cervical Check are now justifiably concerned about their own experiences with the national screening programme, and particularly with the results of their smear tests.
“The scandalous mismanagement of such sensitive and important information has heightened anxiety among thousands of women across Dublin. It is a damning indictment of the HSE’s approach to responding to system failures that it took the ordeal which Vicky Phelan was put through in order for the public to learn of the broader errors.
“It is a chilling fact too that as many as 17 women at the centre of the Cervical Check controversy have passed away without full knowledge of their diagnosis. It is imperative that women who received delayed diagnoses are not forced through the courts process to establish the details of what happened in these cases.
“The public rightfully expect the full disclosure of what mistakes were made by Cervical Check and how. Minister Simon Harris must ensure that the independent inquiry announced by the Government is established without delay and that a detailed report on the controversy is published as soon as possible,” concluded Senator Ardagh.
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