Varadkar is all talk and no action, says Vicky
VICKY Phelan has said the Taoiseach is ‘all talk and no action’ over the Cervical-Check scandal. The woman who first brought the crisis to light praised Health Minister Simon Harris, but said his efforts contrasted with those of Leo Varadkar.
‘At least [with Simon Harris] you know that there is a willingness there, where there isn’t in other [Government] parts,’ she remarked.
‘I wouldn’t have that same confidence in the Taoiseach, put it that way. He doesn’t inspire me with confidence,’ Ms Phelan continued. ‘I think he is very much all talk and no action, and I just don’t get [the] sense, that he thinks this is as important as what it is really, when you consider half the population in the country are women, and every woman in this country has to have a smear,’ she added.
Ms Phelan made her comments exactly one year on from when she was given a terminal cancer diagnosis after previously receiving a false negative smear test result.
She was speaking on Saturday night prior to being awarded the Fitzgerald Bible Bruff Award for 2018, where she also received a standing ovation at the Thomas Fitzgerald Centre in Bruff, Co. Limerick.
The award represents the legacy of former US president John F Kennedy as inspiring others to seek justice by taking responsibility for political and social action. Previous winners who have given major contributions to Ireland are Philomena Lee, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy and Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
In response, a spokesman for Mr Varadkar said: ‘The Taoiseach has the highest regard for Vicky Phelan. When they met last year he was impressed by her courage, and by her commitment to the CervicalCheck programme. Her input and advice continues to guide the Government’s response.
‘The Taoiseach and Government are very much guided and act on the advice of Minister Harris when it comes to CervicalCheck as he is the line minister dealing with it.
‘The Taoiseach, like Vicky, has said he wants something good to come out of this controversy. That means implementing the Scally Report in full and working to ensure that cervical cancer becomes a rare disease through the expansion of the HPV vaccine to boys, and improving screening by becoming one of the first countries in the world to bring in the new smear test.
‘The Taoiseach and Minister Harris working together have ensured both these things will happen this year.’
The Scally Report was an independent review by a cancer specialist which made a series of recommendations on how to improve the cervical check system.
On January 12 last year Ms Phelan was given between six and 12 months to live with no
‘He doesn’t inspire confidence’
hope of a cure for her cervical cancer. After declining a palliative treatment plan she discovered a so-called wonderdrug, Pembrolizumab (Pembro), through her own research.
Since then, she has also successfully campaigned for the drug to be made available to all suffering with cervical cancer.
‘I’m outliving my prognosis’
Speaking on Saturday, on the first anniversary of her terminal diagnosis, the mother of two said her tumours had shrunk by 60% which she attributes to Pembro.
Celebrating the milestone with her husband Jim, and children Amelia, 12, and Darragh, seven, she punched the air and said: ‘I’m actually after outliving my prognosis.’
‘Humbled’ at receiving the Fitzgerald Bible Bruff Award, she added that her ‘wish for the new year is to improve outcomes for people with terminal illness’. She said: ‘That’s not necessarily just cancer. But, cancer, unfortunately, is the one that is killing everybody in this country. The numbers are really creeping up, we are now at one in three; it was one in four.’
Ms Phelan said she will continue to put pressure on the Government to achieve her aims in fighting for others in similar situations.
The latest prize is just one of a number of awards bestowed on Ms Phelan, including an honorary doctorate from University of Limerick and an honorary fellowship from Waterford Institute of Technology.