Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2004
793 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children when the national cervical cancer screening service will be extended nationwide; the counties currently in the service; the timescale for extending it to the remaining counties; the counties currently without any publicly funded screening service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21645/04]
View answerA pilot cervical screening programme commenced in October 2000 and is available to eligible women resident in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary North. Under the programme, cervical screening is being offered, free of charge, to approximately 74,000 women in the 25 to 60 age group, at five year intervals.
The Health Board Executive, HeBE, has commissioned an examination of the feasibility and implications of a national roll-out of a cervical screening programme. This is a major undertaking with significant logistical and resource implications. The examination includes an evaluation of the pilot programme, policy development and the establishment of national governance arrangements. The evaluation of the pilot programme is a key element in informing the development of a high quality cervical screening model for Ireland and will be considered by my Department as a matter of priority.
There are approximately 200,000 tests for cervical cancer undertaken annually outside of the current pilot programme. Any woman who is concerned about cervical cancer should contact her general practitioner in this connection.
