Efforts are to be made to get GPs to carry out smear tests on all women in particular age groups to facilitate Government plans to provide a national cervical cancer-screening programme.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said yesterday this would be the most effective way of making the service available on a national basis quickly.
A pilot cervical cancer-screening programme was set up in the midwest in October 2000. A report by an independent expert published last year said it worked well and was "a sound basis for national roll out" of a cervical cancer-screening programme. It said a national programme should be provided as soon as possible.
The Republic's invasive cervical cancer rate is one of the highest in western Europe. There are around 180 new cases and an average of 73 deaths from the cancer reported in the State each year. The number of deaths from cervical cancer fell substantially in the UK after a national screening programme was introduced in 1988.
Ms Harney said she thought the role for GPs in cervical-smear testing would be raised in the context of the renegotiation of the GMS contract. "That is one of the issues we want to include in any new contract."
Dr Martin Daly, chairman of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, said GPs conducted the screening for the pilot programme in the midwest. He said he was perplexed at Ms Harney's suggestion that another model to that in the midwest might be more appropriate.
Providing screening was not part of the current GMS contract. he said, and he indicated if it became part of the contract, GPs would have to be paid more for doing the work, as happens. At present, GPs in the midwest programme are paid €46.33 for each screening.
Furthermore Dr Daly said for a screening programme to be effective, it would have to be a whole population one and therefore the State would have to be prepared to underwrite the costs of GPs screening all women, not just those with medical cards.