Free smear tests to cost State €10m
Free smear tests announced by the Government during the CervicalCheck crisis are set to cost €10m, the Public Accounts Committee has been told.
The figure is contained in a memo from the Department of Health to the PAC, outlining how €4.7m will be spent to provide women with a free GP consultation, alongside another €2.36m for repeat smear test consultations.
When additional costs of around €3m for laboratory testing of the smear tests are factored in, it brings the total to approximately €10m.
However, potential delays rather than the potential cost were at the forefront of discussions within the PAC about the issue.
PAC chairperson Seán Fleming quoted the HSE memo: “Women who availed of an early, repeat smear test with the CervicalCheck will be called for their next routine test according to their individual screening recommendation.
“This means that most women screened will be recalled for screening in either three or five years. As a result future costs of providing smear tests will be offset to a degree by this out of cycle smear tests.”
He said it indicated a bringing forward of a planned screening that women would have had in any case, adding: “There is no extra screening being offered here at all.”
Referring to the decision by government last May, Labour TD Alan Kelly said: “During the crisis the minister made the decision, which has had profound consequences, to provide free screening.
“There are now 20 weeks of a delay. This is affecting women’s health in a detrimental way.
“Furthermore, it has been determined that they have no prioritisation mechanism or way of dealing with priorities.”
He added that “the minister or the department did not have the capacity or put in adequate resources to be able to deal with the excessive demand created by the decision”.
