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Cancer Screening Programmes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2019

Thursday, 17 October 2019

Questions (188)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

188. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the time women in counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath are waiting on smear test and CervicalCheck results to return to their general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42678/19]

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Written answers

Significant progress has been made in reducing turnaround times for smear tests. Medlab Pathology, which reported a backlog of 55,000 smear tests in May 2019, completed the processing of these tests in August this year, having ceased accepting new tests from 1 May. This marks a welcome milestone for the programme. Two laboratories now provide services for CervicalCheck; the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital and Quest Diagnostics. 

As of 10 October, the HSE reported that average turnaround times for both the Coombe and Quest are now 6 weeks. The HSE reports that it hopes to sustain these average turnaround times going forward, which will ensure that women and their GPs get their results in a reasonable time period.  

In relation to the specific data requested, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

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