Victims of the cancer scandal see their trust trampled by the State

IGNORANCE was once described as a blank sheet on which we can write; while error is a scribbled one from which we must first erase. Unfortunately, for the women caught up in the scandal surrounding the CervicalCheck screening programme, the sheet remains blank and the errors have as yet to be even identified.

The news that hundreds of smear tests performed on women could not be read this year due to delays in processing them is only going to add to the sense of frustration and anger of women.

Earlier this week we reported how more victims of the CervicalCheck scandal will inevitably end up having to face gruelling court appearances in their fight for compensation.

An expert group tasked with finding alternative methods for redress other than through the courts has yet to meet.

It is now estimated that it is unlikely to have any recommendations until next year.

The Taoiseach went on the record to promise that no sick women would be dragged through the courts – but they will be. Despite the fact that time is not on their side.

But to learn, as we now have, of a sharp rise in expired samples given by anxious women who took cervical tests once more asks the gravest questions about the Government’s commitment to putting the requisite resources in place.

In the aftermath of the Vicky Phelan court settlement last April there was an understandable surge in women seeking repeat smears following the controversy over the programme.

This should have been foreseen; and all measures necessary should have been taken to minimise delay.

It should have been a surprise to no one that the number of smears performed in CervicalCheck would jump by more than 50pc between July 2017 and July 2018.

As a consequence the backlog in receiving test results has doubled, going from six to eight weeks to up to 13 weeks in some cases. The delays are likely to run into the new year. The problem, of course, is that samples will expire if not processed within six weeks by the laboratory.

THERE may also be cases where GPs failed to send smear tests to the laboratory quickly enough. It should also be remembered that women must also leave a minimum of a three-month gap between smears. It hardly needs repeating that these tests are vital. Ms Phelan appealed with great dignity for a full scale inquiry to follow Dr Gabriel Scally’s scoping report which is due in weeks. It must be published as soon as possible. The women and their families have already had an agonising wait.

At every step in this process, women have found that their confidence in the Government has been misplaced when it comes to providing answers. The State has pledged a full inquiry; this must be undertaken as quickly as possible and, ideally, should be in public.

Suffering is said to be the strongest of all teaching. But the State seems unwilling to learn from the terrible lessons in this scandal. The women living this nightmare already feel betrayed and abandoned. The least they might have expected was that no further obstacles would be put in their way, and every effort would b made to guarantee that no undue delays would be permitted.

They felt the State might finally take their fears seriously. It would appear that their hopes have been trampled upon again.