Medical Council president urged to clarify 'inaccurate information' CervicalCheck comment

The President of the Medical Council is being urged to clarify comments she has made on the CervicalCheck scandal.

Medical Council president urged to clarify 'inaccurate information' CervicalCheck comment

The President of the Medical Council is being urged to clarify comments she has made on the CervicalCheck scandal.

Dr Rita Doyle says there is a level of ‘inaccurate information’ in the public domain.

However, the Irish Patients Association says she needs to say exactly what that information is.

Dr Doyle says individual doctors could also face investigation over their roles in the controversy - depending on the outcomes of various reports being carried out.

Director of the Irish Patients Association Stephen McMahon says there are a lot of questions unanswered.

"Are they themselves going to initiate complaints against particular doctors if they are in contact with the HSE?" asked Mr McMahon.

And the question for the HSE is if they are going to open communication lines with the Medical Council about particular doctors that they are concerned about. Are they going to make those public?

Last night, Dr Rita Doyle said she is concerned that the positive impact of cancer screening programmes is being lost in the issues that have emerged.

Dr Doyle said the Cervical Check programme has cut mortality rates by 7% year-on-year since it's introduction - dramatically reducing the number of women who die from cervical cancer.

However, in a statement, she said this 'good news story' has been lost in the issues that have emerged in recent months.

The HSE has today confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of women seeking smear tests since the CervicalCheck controversy arose.

It acknowledges that in a small number of cases, tests may need to be retaken, if the smear is not able to be read, if it has expired, or if the slide is damaged.

The health service says all steps are being taken to avoid such circumstances, as this requires women to have a further smear taken.

Digital Desk

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