Deirdre Clune
Question:51 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will put in place a national cervical screening plan. [25510/01]
Written Answers. - Cancer Screening Programme.
Phase one of the national cervical screening programme was launched in Limerick on 16 October 2000. Under phase one, cervical screening is being offered to approximately 67,000 women in the 25-60 age group, free of charge, at five-yearly intervals, in the Mid-Western Health Board area. An expert advisory group on cervical screening is currently overseeing the implementation of phase one.
The experience gained from phase one will facilitate the process of planning and organising the introduction of the national programme. The chief executive officers of the health boards are currently involved in an examination of the feasibility and implications – resource requirements etc. – of extending the programme to the rest of the country. In light of the organisational and resource implications, there would appear to be merit in a phased introduction of the national programme. The introduction of the remaining phases of the programme will require the development of population based registers and the availability of laboratory capacity, appropriate quality assurance and follow-up services where treatment is required.