Vol. 525 No. 2
150 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a detailed statement outlining the availability of cervical screening; and if he will give details of timescales involved in this screening including details of waiting lists where these exist. [24494/00]
As part of the national cancer strategy a national cervical screening programme is being introduced on a phased basis. Phase I of the programme has just commenced in the Mid-Western Health Board.
Phase I involves 67,000 women in the 25-60 age group in the mid-western region. Under the programme, women in this age group will have a smear taken by their GP, family planning clinic or health board clinic, free of charge, at minimum intervals of five years. Substantial funding has been provided to develop and expand the laboratory and colposcopy services required under phase I to meet minimum standards and best practice guidelines set out in quality assurance guidelines for the national programme produced by the national expert advisory group on cervical screening. The quality assurance guidelines recommend that a cervical smear test should be processed by the cytology laboratory within four weeks of the date of receipt and that the waiting time for colposcopic assessment treatment following a moderately severely dyskaryotic smear should not exceed four weeks and that other waiting times should not exceed eight weeks.
The question of extending the programme to the rest of the country is currently being examined. This will have resource implications in terms of ensuring that laboratory and colposcopy services meet the necessary requirements set out in the quality assurance guidelines for the national programme.
I have written to the chief executive officers of the health boards seeking details of current timescales regarding turnaround times in laboratories and waiting lists where these exist and I will forward same to the Deputy without delay.
