CANCER SLIDES DELAY BLASTED

Women waiting up to 70 days for return of smears

WOMEN caught up in the cancer scandal have waited more than two months to have slides returned, TDS heard yesterday.

The delays in getting the smears back from laboratories were confirmed at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.

Many of the patients affected want to have the slides independently analysed.

The tortuous wait was highlighted in the Irish Mirror on Tuesday – prompting solicitor Caoimhe Haughey, who acts for several women, to claim: “Nobody gives a damn.”

Damien Mccallion, head of screening at the HSE, told yesterday’s hearing: “Thirtyeight women requested their slides, of which there are two outstanding and a 22-day turnaround period on average.

“A 70-day turnaround was the longest.”

In reply, Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane said: “Seventy days with a woman in this circumstance isn’t acceptable. They are entitled to these slides, this is their human right.

“The decision to give free screening was right. This was a demand of the women themselves.

“It wasn’t an over-reaction of politicians, this wasn’t because women were being hysterical. This was because the demand was there.

“Does this mean the HSE were more concerned with cost than patient care? This was emphasised in the Scally Report.

“You can say you accept the report but not necessarily what it says.

“Cost was the biggest issue for the HSE, not quality. I’m asking if that’s what was accepted by the HSE.”

Further shocking figures revealed during the PAC session showed 113 medical negligence claims have been taken against the State, costing an estimated €1.4billion.

Fianna Fail’s Sean Fleming read out rough estimations for outstanding cases and said the issue was “a major bill” for the health service.

He added that many of the 113 claims related to “catastrophic” and lifelong situations.