TIMELINE OF SMEAR TESTING SCANDAL
MAY 2011
Vicky Phelan undergoes a CervicalCheck smear test which she is wrongly told is clear
JUNE 2014
Mrs Phelan is diagnosed as having cervical cancer
SEPTEMBER 2017
The HSE finally tells Mrs Phelan about the 2011 error
APRIL 24, 2018
Mrs Phelan settles her High Court case against Clinical Pathology Laboratories Inc and the HSE
APRIL 26
The head of the HSE’s screening services, Dr Jerome Coffey, tells RTÉ’s Morning Ireland he doesn’t know how many other women were wrongly given the all-clear. The figure is later given as 206 from a total of almost 1,500 cervical cancer cases
APRIL 27
CervicalCheck clinical director Professor Gráinne Flannelly tells Morning Ireland she doesn’t know if all 206 women wrongly given the allclear have been told. Simon Harris sends in his own team to run CervicalCheck
APRIL 29
Smear testing advocate Gráinne Flannelly resigns from her position in CervicalCheck
APRIL 30
HSE confirms 17 women have died and a total of 208 were wrongly given the all-clear
MAY 1
The Dáil hears that an additional 1,500 women with cervical cancer have never been audited to check if they wrongly got the all-clear
MAY 3
Independent CervicalCheck inquiry extended to BreastCheck and BowelScreen
MAY 4
Vicky Phelan reveals the HSE will foot her bill for a cancer drug she hopes will prolong her life
MAY 6
The Government confirms HSE boss Tony O’Brien will retire a month earlier than expected, on July 4