Harris under pressure to say how many patients died in test debacle

HEALTH Minister Simon Harris is under serious pressure to reveal more information – including how many women have died – about the cancer test scandal.

It has emerged that 206 women diagnosed with cervical cancer should have received earlier intervention than they did due to the concealment of test results.

But Mr Harris has said he cannot say how many of these women have actually died as a result.

“I truthfully don’t know that. I hope to be able to find out perhaps as early as tomorrow,” he told the Irish Independent last night.

Sources familiar with the controversy said it may also be difficult to differentiate between those who have died as a direct result of the test debacle.

The minister said he hopes to know by today whether all of the women affected or their families have been told about the erroneous test results.

The woman at the heart of the controversy, Vicky Phelan, told the ‘Sunday Independent’ that she was told at least three women had died when she was informed last September that she had wrongly been given the all-clear.

However well-placed sources have indicated that the final figure is likely to be far higher than this.

Mr Harris (right) has ordered an expert review of how the CervicalCheck programme operates.

He hopes to have the terms of reference for this review this week and will report to Cabinet tomorrow.

The minister noted the resignation on Saturday of CervicalCheck clinical director Dr Gráinne Flannelly as controversy arising from the case of Limerick woman Ms Phelan deepened.

Ms Phelan settled a High Court case last week for €2.5m, as it emerged that information about her false test result was concealed from her for almost three years, but other cases are expected to follow.

The minister said he hoped that other cases will not be contested and would work with Government to try to achieve this. But he said it was ultimately a matter for the HSE and the State Claims Agency.

He also said that every woman who has had a smear test can have a recheck if they want it.

He pledged to publish legislation next month for mandatory open disclosure of such vital information to patients to avoid a recurrence of what happened.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin said the full information on this issue had yet to be revealed and this must happen in the Dáil.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald condemned “a culture of concealment” in the HSE. She told RTÉ radio that Ms Phelan should not have had to fight a High Court case on the issue but added that other people received similar harsh treatment.