More than 25,000 signatures have been received by the Irish Cancer Society, just one week after the launch of its online petition for free cervical screening for women aged 25 or over.
More than 25,000 signatures have been received by the Irish Cancer Society, just one week after the launch of its online petition for free cervical screening for women aged 25 or over.
The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) hopes to have 70,000 names to present to Mary Harney, the Minister for Health, at a meeting on cervical cancer on February 1st.
"A nationwide cervical cancer screening programme was promised by the government 10 years ago and subsequently promised by successive governments," said the ICS's chief executive John McCormack.
Phase one of the National Cervical Screening Programme began in the Mid-Western Health Board in 2000, but the service has not expanded since then.
This current online petition for public support is the first online campaign initiated by the ICS.
According to its communications manager, Jane Curtin, women from all counties in Ireland and from as far as the United States and Australia have signed the petition.
One woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1999 as part of the national cervical cancer screening programme in Britain urged women to join the campaign in her e-mail.
"It is unlikely that I would be sitting here typing this if it had not been for the national cervical cancer screening programme in the UK. It saved my life. Please register and please go for a smear," she said.
Commenting on calls for national cervical cancer screening, a Department of Health spokeswoman said yesterday: "Population-based screening programmes for cervical screening have demonstrated their efficacy internationally. The Tánaiste is committed to the national roll-out of the cervical screening programme."
According to the spokeswoman, the forthcoming National Cancer Strategy also recommends the intorduction of the programme as soon as possible.
Approximately 1,000 new cases of cervical pre-cancer are detected annually in women who have requested cervical smear tests or who have been called for smear tests in the former Mid-Western Health Board region.
About 200 cases of cervical cancer are similarly discovered every year.
Approximately 70 women die from cervical cancer every year in Ireland.
The National Cancer helpline is 1800 200 700. See also www.cancer.ie
