Smear test delays
Michael Healy-Rae highlights a case where a woman waited months to learn her smear test could not be read and says patients should be told immediately. The Taoiseach says delays arose from repeat testing demand and laboratory capacity shortages, not funding.
There have been delays, unfortunately, in assessing some smear tests. It will be recalled that back in May or June, the Government decided to allow any woman who was concerned about the accuracy of her smear test to have a repeat smear test free of charge. About 50,000 women took up that opportunity. That has, however, led to delays in examining those smears because of capacity constraints in the laboratories. It is not an issue of money because we have agreed to pay in all cases. It is due to a shortage of technicians and cytologists, but we think we can get through that backlog quite soon as the numbers coming in have started to fall off.