Paternalistic culture must end along with litany of other failings

REMINDERS of the human cost of the CervicalCheck scandal were never far away as Dr Gabriel Scally launched his investigation into the national screening service in a Dublin hotel .

Two of the brave women suffering from cervical cancer, who put themselves on the line to highlight the issue, were each having treatment in Dublin hospitals at the same time.

Vicky Phelan was receiving an advanced drug infusion which has reduced her tumours, and Emma Mhic Mhathúna was spending her second week away from her five children in hospital for complications of the disease.

As Dr Scally lifted the veil on the dysfunctional weaknesses that have hampered CervicalCheck, the debt owed to these women became clear.

Thanks to his investigation, we now know the problems go beyond the failure of nondisclosure which sparked the investigation.

He found serious gaps in the governance structures of the screening service.

There are also absences in professional advisory structures, which are key to ensuring it is delivering a quality assured service to the hundreds of thousands of women who depend on it.

But there is always a danger that the momentum and promises that surround the launch of an important investigation report will not be maintained.

The script is usually the same and yesterday was no different, as Health Minister Simon Harris appeared briefly outside Government Buildings to pledge his commitment to implement the recommendations.

For the wider population of women, Dr Scally has reassurance about the quality of the screening provided by the three labs currently used by CervicalCheck.

But this is still qualified until a more in-depth review by external scientific experts is completed at the end of the year.

The unexpected revelations in his report may have implications outside of CervicalCheck .

They point to a vital need for certain members of the medical profession to do some harsh self-analysis about their treatment of female patients.

The harrowing stories of women and bereaved families who were given the long-delayed audits of test results in recent months shine a very poor light on some doctors.

Their treatment of the women and families was deeply hurtful and disrespectful.

These are never isolated incidents and it is fair to say it is not exclusive to these women.

There is new strength and force in the collective accounts given to Dr Scally.

He is not exaggerating in saying some of the behaviour bordered on misogyny.

“Why does it always happen to women?” one woman remarked to Dr Scally.

The hope is that his call for an end to paternalism will be heeded with his report’s other key messages.