Women have to wait six months for the results of routine smear tests from Cork University Hospital, new figures show. And they are waiting four to five weeks for the results of smears which have been marked urgent by GPs.
The waiting times, released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in reply to a Dáil question, have been condemned by Fine Gael TD for East Cork David Stanton. "The most important factor in treating cervical cancer is early diagnosis and treatment and by allowing waiting times reach these lethal levels, the Government and HSE are putting women's health at risk," he said.
Mr Stanton added that the waiting times had been getting worse. In 2003, results of routine smears were available within one month; in 2004, the average time taken to process tests was six to eight weeks; at present the time is 24 to 26 weeks.
The backlog now stands at 10,938, he added.
A HSE spokeswoman said last night that it had been decided to outsource the backlog of smears to an accredited laboratory in the UK for processing. The outsourcing will begin soon, she said.