CLAIMS by Fine Gael that the national cervical screening programme begun on Monday was already “hitting delays” have been dismissed by the chief executive of the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS), Tony O’Brien.
Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said yesterday he was aware of GP practices that had signed up to take cervical smears under the national programme but had not been supplied with the necessary kits.
He also said that while the public had been told that 1,450 GPs, practice nurses and clinics had registered to provide the service, only 306 – fewer than a quarter of that number – appeared on the CervicalCheck website.
However, in a strongly-worded statement yesterday evening, Mr O’Brien said that if Dr Reilly had taken the time to read the statement issued by the NCSS on Monday in relation to the availability of the programme for women, he would know that the programme did not have full national coverage immediately.
“We have not claimed, as he falsely suggests, that full national coverage has been achieved. We have explicitly stated that the registration of GPs, practice nurses and clinics is an ongoing process, with national coverage expected to increase in the coming weeks,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Registration with the programme by smear-takers is an important quality-assurance process.
“All applications are being processed as quickly as possible. We are currently receiving an average of 80 per day.
“There is an inevitable interval between an application being submitted and confirmation of registration being issued. It is quite wrong of Dr Reilly to suggest that this constitutes a delay.”
He added: “Dr Reilly also questions the figure of 1,450 registered smear-takers, which he compares to the 306 GP practices currently listed on the CervicalCheck website. This is plainly misleading. Dr Reilly is well aware that larger practices are registering seven or more smear-takers,”
CervicalCheck is being made available to 1.1 million women aged 25 to 60.
They will be called for screening at regular intervals, but those wishing to attend for a free test before being invited can choose a smear-taker of their choice in their area.