Cervical Cancer screening campaign

[sepmilo]

In 1998:

Waiting Time for Laboratory Results of Cervical Smear Tests.
Laboratories
Waiting Period for results @ 29/10/98

Coombe Womens Hospital, Dublin
4-6 weeks
National Maternity Hospital, Dublin
2 weeks
Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
3-4 weeks
St. Annes and St. Lukes, Dublin
8 weeks
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin
1 month
St. James Hospital, Dublin
2-3 weeks
St. Vincents, Dublin
8 weeks
St. Josephs Raheny, Dublin
2-3 weeks
Mount Carmel, Dublin
1 week
Blackrock Clinic, Dublin
2-4 weeks
College of Surgeons, Dublin
8.5 weeks
Sligo General Hospital
4.5 weeks
Cork University Hospital
10 weeks
Bon Secours Hospital, Cork
1 week — 10 days
Mercy Hospital, Cork
1 week
Portiuncula Hospital, Galway
8-10 days
University College Hospital, Galway
5 weeks
Lady of Lourdes, Hospital, Drogheda
2-3 weeks
()

More recently:

Women undergoing cervical smear tests are still having to wait for up to 18 weeks for the results, depending on where they live, figures from the Department of Health have shown.
[broken link removed]

There is a staff shortage.
As well as an expertise shortage.
There are huge backlogs waiting in Labs around the country.
All of the above are contributing to more cervial cancers, growths and deaths.

 

[pansyflower]

I had a smear test done in Sept last. The results arrived today 2nd April.


"The Dept. of Health confirmed to me last week that the Department are now in the process of discussing options for the further roll-out/expansion of the programme with the Health Service Executive. "

So I expect the delay will soon be worse.

 

[Brooklyn]

Isn't this a procedure that only needs to be carried out ever few years so the €40-€50 or whatever would hardly break the bank especially when you consider what many people manage to spend on beer and fags etc. And those who foot the bill themselves can always add it to their other medical expenses for the year when claiming MED1 tax relief I presume.

Speaking as someone who not too long ago would have found €40-€50 out of my reach (and no, I wouldn't have spent it on beer and fags instead) I find attitudes like this completely out of touch with the reality for people on low incomes. The point is that you want to encourage, not discourage, women to get the screening and the reality is that such a fee does act as a discouragement, notwithstanding that it isn't a lot of money spread out over the course of a few years. That's just a basic fact of life for low earners and an intelligent public policy would reflect it, not reflect how high earners think that low earners should behave.

BTW, the ability to recoup a small percentage of it as a tax refund the following year really does very little to counter the disincentive.

 

[Thrifty1]

I have to completly agree with all of Brooklyn's coments.

Clubman i think your comment about people finding money to spend on fags and beer extremely ignorant, you have no idea of the financial constraints of low earners.

I work with 2 girls who have just had the results of their smear test back with both showing abnormal cells.
These girls had to wait about 6 months to get the result.

I went to the Well Woman centre in Dublin and paid €120 for a smear in order to get the results back within 10 working days.

I think its a disgrace that you have to pay over the odds in order to have your result back within a reasonable timeframe.

 

[shootingstar]

I got it done last Jan and i found a clinic (claymon laboratories) in Dublin that will give you results in 2 weeks. My doc advised that this was the best option as opposed to waiting months on end. I paid the clinic 30.00 along with paying my doc 45.00 for the test itself.

best 75 euros ill spend this year i should think

 

[sun_sparks]

Just to advise any women reading this that Jo's Trust (a UK-based charity that aims to increase the awareness of cervical cancer and precancerous cervical changes) has a really good website at www.jotrust.co.uk - the Let's Meet section was a godsend to me for a long period.

(They are also expanding their Irish activities in line with the proposed roll out of the cervical screening service.)

To Clubman, all of these screening services, as you know, go through rigorous analysis to ensure that they provide a cost-benefit. (Much though it pains me to think that this is required!) The cost associated with cervical cancer and precancerous cells is vast - consultant fees, repeat doctors visits, laboratory expenses, treatment. Given that cervical cancer is, in the main, preventable with screening (one of the very few cancers that is) and kills 80 women each year, a screening programme is well overdue.