Bríd Smith
Question:103. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the laboratories from which the 221 false readings came in the CervicalCheck screening programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27925/19]
View answerTuesday, 2 July 2019
Questions (103)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware from previous responses on this issue, the HSE has advised that analysis was required in order to make the requested data available.
The requirement for analysis reflected the complexities involved in this work. For example, some women may have had multiple smears, not necessarily read in the same lab; slides may have changed by one grade or multiple grades which is a complexity that would not be shown by a simple breakdown across labs; labs dealt with different regional populations and in the early years of the programme it was dealing with an unscreened population, which is a further complexity.
An expert was identified to carry out this work in late 2018, and I understand that the report is nearing finalisation, including through engagement between the HSE and patient representatives.