The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, needs to urgently clarify the timeline of what he knew and when he knew it regarding the latest Cervical Check issue.
Correspondence which has been obtained by RTÉ News has cast new light on the latest Cervical Check issue in which 800 women were not issued with their cervical screening results due to what the HSE has said was an IT issue.
It is wholly unacceptable that in spite of all the reassurances given to women on the Cervical Check issue, we find out about this latest debacle. It is obvious that those in charge are not listening. This has to be corrected immediately to ensure that women and their families can have confidence in cervical screening and indeed in health screening in general.
The Minister states he did not become aware of the issue until 10 July. However, new correspondence shows the Minister’s office were contacted about the matter on 6 June and a reply was issued in the Minister’s name intimating he had been made aware of the matter.
This new information raises many questions and in the interest of clarity the Minister now needs to clarify his timeline of events and confirm what he knew, and when he knew it.
This is a matter which should have been immediately brought to the Minister’s attention, and if he is claiming it was not, then it raises questions about why his Department was not willing or capable of bringing it to his attention – and if this is the case, it is a serious cause for concern.
