HSE to cease free rescreening for cervical cancer this month

HEALTH bosses have called a halt to free rescreening introduced in the aftermath of the CervicalCheck scandal.

The HSE has written to GPs registered with CervicalCheck advising them that repeat smear testing introduced in response to fears over the testing system should end on December 31.

In April, Health Minister Simon Harris said that any woman aged 25 to 60 with concerns over their previous smear results could have another test free of charge with their GP.

Until January 1, the HSE will continue to pay for any repeat tests and associated consultations – after which CervicalCheck will offer free tests only for those who are due a screening.

The HSE advise that women should continue to attend for regular smear tests under the CervicalCheck programme. They also advise that women should visit their GP if they have symptoms, including pelvic pain and irregular vaginal bleeding.

The testing system is currently facing significant backlog in the reporting of results as a result of increased demand following the screening scandal.

Last month, the HSE confirmed that women were now waiting up to 20 weeks to receive the results of their tests, and that there was a backlog of approximately 80,000 tests.

Controversy arose earlier this year when Vicky Phelan took legal action after learning that she had developed cancer, following her smear tests being incorrectly reported as being clear.

The HSE then revealed that Ms Phelan was one of more than 200 women affected by false negative tests who had gone on to develop cancer.