FEARS OVER SMEAR RESULTS BEING SENT TO UK FOR TESTING
THE devastated husband of a woman who died of cervical cancer after being given the all-clear said he can only focus on “what should have been”.
Paul Reck last week discovered his wife Catherine, who died in 2012 aged 48, had been incorrectly cleared of the disease on a smear test result two years previously.
But despite HSE chiefs knowing about the mistake in 2016, Paul and his family only recently found out.
The heartbroken dad told RTE News: “I was hoping against hope they were going to tell me they had been informed only recently when the scandal broke, but that wasn’t the case.
“They were informed in 2016. They chose to file it away and not to tell us as a family, which was devastating to hear on top of what was already a devastating situation.
“All the pain and anguish our family are feeling now could have been avoided.” “I’M dying when I don’t need to die. And my children are going to be without me and I’m going to be without them.”
The words of mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mathuna on Morning Ireland that have rocked this country to its core and shone a light on a system that has Simon Harris clearly failed the very people it is supposed to work for – the women of Ireland.
Women all over Ireland are feeling anxious and worried their own regular smear results may have actually been a mistake with thousands calling the HSE helpline looking for reassurance.
What’s even more jarring is if it wasn’t for the bravery of women like Vicky Phelan the true extent of this scandal would likely have never come to light. As well as the devastating testimony of Emma Mhic Mhathuna, the 2016 HSE memos revealed to my colleagues and I on the public accounts committee that day marked another turning point in this sorry saga.
What was so disturbing is these memos revealed there was a policy of containment at play – that the HSE was more concerned about protecting its corporate brand at any cost in the event of a media fallout than it was Marc Macsharry
YESTERDAY
about protecting the women of Ireland. That is in my view a shocking indictment of our health service and is quite simply unacceptable.
It is time for a blank cheque to be written to support all the women like Vicky Phelan and
Emma Mhic Mhathuna who are finding out they have a terminal diagnosis after initially receiving a normal smear result.
That Cabinet has now CONCERNS have been raised over more smear test results after it was revealed an Irish lab used by Cervicalcheck outsourced some of its work to the UK.
The HSE yesterday confirmed Medlab Pathology in Dublin enlisted a sister facility during busy times.
RTE reported the Executive insisted the same quality assurance system was adhered to in both labs.
Vicky Phelan, 43, from Limerick, who brought the scandal to public attention, has been awarded €2.5million against Clinical Pathology Labs in Austin, Texas – one of the facilities used for testing.
Fianna Fail TD Marc Macsharry asked Health Minister Simon Harris to reveal if samples sent to the UK lab were tested in the same way as those not outsourced.
Mr Macsharry said: “The minister needs to clarify how exactly this works and whether there is a different criteria applied to tests carried out in the UK, or whether they are all treated the same and signed off by Irish pathologists here.
“In addition, the minister must explain whether he knew about this practice, whether he is satisfied this happens on a regular basis and whether GPS are informed whether the tests have taken place.
“Are we outsourcing the testing of smears, transcribing the results and then looking to an Irish pathologist to sign off on the test results or are they being signed off by UK pathologists?”
Mr Macsharry added Irish women need to have all the information in order to trust Cervicalcheck following the scandal.
He said: “It is important all of the background regarding how and when tests are sent overseas to the UK is made known so women can have full confidence in the Cervicalcheck programme.
“It’s crucial from here on out that women continue to seek the testing services of Cervicalcheck and HPV vaccination and to ensure every effort must be made to guarantee women have all information that is available.”
Meanwhile, Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin accused the Government of playing “catch-up” over the smear test controversy.
Referring to the HSE memo warning the organisation to prepare for the scandal, Mr Howlin said those who came up with the strategy of concealment should be held accountable. decided to cover these costs is a welcome move and frankly the least that can be done. Irish women can no longer be an afterthought in a health service whose job it is to look after them.
No more women can be allowed to needlessly suffer. This Government and the health service needs to get back to doing the job of minding its citizens. TRAGIC Emma
The Health Minister must explain whether he knew about this practice MARC MACSHARRY TD