People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has said that the report compiled by Dr Scally is an important piece of work but there is much more work to do concerning the Cervical Check scandal.
The Scally Report highlights the failures of the outsourcing of the Cervical Check service and has led to the horrendous suffering of the women and families involved.
Despite what Simon Harris says this report does not vindicate the outsourcing of the service.
The TD was shocked to learn from Dr Scally that a Texas lab, CPL, where smear tests were outsourced to up until 2013, had further outsourced smear tests from Ireland to San Antonio military base. That facility is now closed. CPL also had outsourced the tests to labs in Victoria, Honolulu, Orlando and Las Vegas. CPL was the lab that settled with Vicky Phelan.
Deputy Smith pointed out that Dr Scally said he has confidence in the continuation of the outsourcing of the service. She said that this was bizarre considering the lack of ISO standards in the US labs.
Dr Scally’s rationale for his confidence in the outsourcing comes from the “lack of capacity in the Irish system”. This is not good enough. The lack of capacity is a consequence of the outsourcing.
The TD said that the key question remains- from which labs did the 221 test for women that suffer from cancer today come? She is demanding that Minister Harris further answers questions in the Dáil on this issue.
Bríd Smith also learned that in response to a PQ to Minister Harris that the HPV test would also be outsourced.
She said that the ultimate goal must be to the eventual repatriation of Cervical Check screening service to Ireland.
Ends
