Vol. 515 No. 2
42 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the findings of the report commissioned by the North Western Health Board into the handling of cervical smear tests by a commercial laboratory on behalf of the board; the steps, if any, being taken to ensure that the confusion regarding the results of tests does not arise again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5489/00]
The report commissioned by the North Western Health Board into the handling of cervical smear tests by a commercial laboratory, Claymon Laboratories, on behalf of the board concluded that there was a contract between Sligo General Hospital-North Western Health Board and Claymon Laboratories for those services. This contract was made up of two elements, namely the project management and quality assurance as well as the clinical review of the cervical cytology slides screening; that Claymon Laboratories did not perform satisfactorily with regard to project management and quality assurance of the screening programme; that Claymon Laboratories did perform satisfactorily with regard to the clinical review of the slides; that Sligo General Hospital-North Western Health Board had responsibility for ensuring that the contract was appropriately let; and that Sligo General Hospital-North Western Health Board acted appropriately in commissioning a review by the Glasgow laboratory of slide results due to the particular circumstances pertaining to cervical cytology screening in Ireland.
The report states that the response of the pathology department of Sligo General Hospital in alerting the North Western Health Board of its concerns in relation to a number of the Claymon Laboratories' cytology results "minimised, as far as possible, the risk to patients of misdiagnosis of the slide results and potential loss of health or life."
At this stage I would like to reassure the Deputy that all of the women in question were contacted and received satisfactory and appropriate medical follow-up.
