Irish Independent

Expert dismisses claims over woman’s smear slide

- Tim Healy

A CERVICAL cancer expert yesterday told the High Court it was incorrect to say the cells he identified as abnormal on Ruth Morrissey’s MedLab smear slide had nothing to do with the cancer she suffered.

Dr Michael McKenna was under cross examinatio­n by counsel for MedLab in the fifth day of the case taken by Ms Morrissey, who has sued the HSE and two US laboratori­es.

The action is over the alleged misreading of two smear tests the Limerick woman had in 2009 and 2012 under the CervicalCh­eck screening programme. Ms Morrissey is seriously ill with cervical cancer.

Consultant cytopathol­ogist Dr McKenna, who is head of one of the North’s four screening laboratori­es, has already given evidence to the court that cervical cancer “on the balance of probabilit­ies” was there in Ms Morrissey’s 2012 smear slide when it was tested by the MedLab laboratory and reported as negative.

On Wednesday, Eoin McCullough SC, for MedLab,

in his cross examinatio­n said Ms Morrissey did not develop glandular cell cancer but squamous cell cancer.

Put to Dr McKenna that the cells he identified as abnormal in the 2012 MedLab slide had nothing to do with the cancer Ms Morrissey got, Dr McKenna replied: “That would be incorrect.”

Dr McKenna disagreed these cells he identified as abnormal were unrelated to the cancer Ms Morrissey suffered.

Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey, of Kylemore, Schoolhous­e Road, Monaleen, Co Limerick, have sued the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostic­s Ireland Ltd with offices at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin, along with Medlab Pathology Ltd, with offices at Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18.

It is claimed there was an alleged failure to correctly report and diagnose and there was an alleged misinterpr­etation of her smear samples taken in 2009 and 2012. The HSE, the court has already heard, admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey but not to her husband. The laboratori­es deny all claims.

The case continues.

 ??  ?? Seriously ill: Ruth Morrissey has sued the HSE and two US laboratori­es
Seriously ill: Ruth Morrissey has sued the HSE and two US laboratori­es

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