Peadar Tóibín
Question:581. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the length of the waiting lists for cancer screening services by county and by hospital. [25716/21]
View answerTuesday, 22 June 2021
Questions (581, 582, 583, 585, 586, 587)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:582. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the length of waiting lists for cancer screening services by cancer requiring treatment and by hospital. [25717/21]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:583. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the issue of State liability for advanced cancer diagnoses which may be terminal arising from the suspension of cancer screening services has been considered. [25718/21]
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Question:585. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the estimated time it will take for existing waiting lists for cancer screening and cancer treatment services to be cleared. [25720/21]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:586. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the specific reasoning underpinning the decision to not fully resume cancer screening services until the end of 2021; and the projected cost in terms of healthcare outcomes of this reasoning. [25721/21]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:587. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of cancer screenings not performed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. [25722/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 581, 582, 583, 585, 586 and 587 together.
All three national cancer screening programmes (BreastCheck, CervicalCheck and BowelScreen) are currently operating, albeit at reduced capacity due to the current COVID-19 situation and the impact caused by the recent cyber-attack.
It is important to emphasise that screening is for healthy people who do not have symptoms. People who are between screening appointments, or are waiting for rescheduled appointments, are advised to be aware of symptoms, or if they have concerns or worries to contact their GP, who will arrange appropriate follow-up care.
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Question No. 582 answered with Question No. 581.
Question No. 583 answered with Question No. 581.