There has been a low response to offers of breast screening in the State, Prof Niall O'Higgins of St Vincent's Hospital has told a Fine Gael women's conference.
"The purpose of breast screening is to save women's lives" by detecting cancers while they are small and curable, said Prof O'Higgins, adding that a public awareness campaign was needed to increase response rates to the invitations for checks.
The National Breast Screening Programme, BreastCheck, was introduced earlier this year in the North East Health Board, Midlands Health Board and Eastern Regional Health Authority Areas.
While the response rate varied between regions, it is understood to be around 50 per cent in some areas.
Prof O'Higgins, who is also chairman of the Advisory Group on the Development of Services for Symptomatic Breast Disease, said medical research had shown that centres of excellence improved the survival rate of patients.
FG's spokeswoman on social, community and family affairs, Ms Frances Fitzgerald TD, told the conference it was "deeply worrying" that 43 per cent of Irish women with breast cancer died compared with the European average of 30 per cent. Breast-screening services needed to be expanded throughout the State, she said.
There were still major issues of inequality affecting women's access to quality health services in the State, Ms Fitzgerald said.
Also speaking at the conference was the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Assembly representative for South Belfast, Dr Monica McWilliams. She said the party had now nominated a member of the Policing Board in the North.
She told The Irish Times that members of the old police force were regarded as heroes by many victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
As well as continuing the best practice in these areas in the new Police Service of Northern Ireland, there was also an opportunity to make changes, she said.
On the topic of a violent society, Ms Denise Charlton of Woman's Aid told the conference the State could improve services for victims of domestic violence.
She quoted a survey by the National Network of Refuges and Support Services which showed 52 per cent of women returned home from refuges without legal remedy. "As women who go to refuge are often in need of protection from violent partners, the realisation of them returning home with none places a real challenge," she said.
More resources were needed for providing services and information for Traveller women, women with disabilities and women who were refugees and asylum-seekers.
Ms Fiona Neary of the Association of Rape Crisis Centres told the conference the rape crisis sector in the State was currently functioning on one-third of its required funding.