Revenues up at CervicalCheck suit lab firm
A lab firm being sued in the High Court by a number of women concerning alleged failings in the HSE’s CervicalCheck programme last year increased its revenues here by 12% to €9.238m.
The Sandyford-based MedLab Pathology Ltd has been named as a co-defendant in a number of High Court actions concerning CervicalCheck and in new accounts, the firm’s directors state that ongoing legal cases do not impact on its ability to continue as a going concern due to insurance cover it retains.
Sounding an upbeat note, the directors state:
The considerable growth seen within the financial year ended June 30, 2018 is forecast to continue over the next financial year.
In a ruling at the High Court in May, Mr Justice Kevin Cross ordered that MedLab Pathology Ltd and a second firm, Quest Diagnostics, be held liable for the bulk of €2.1m award to terminally ill Co Limerick woman Ruth Morrissey.
Ms Morrissey won her case against the HSE and the two lab firms in relation to the testing of her cervical smear slides in 2009 and 2012 in the landmark action relating to the CervicalCheck controversy.
The firms along with the HSE have appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court and its ruling is to have far-reaching implications for the work of the Cervical Check tribunal and dozens of cases by women with cervical cancer.
In new accounts lodged by MedLab Pathology Ltd, the directors state: “There are ongoing legal cases involving the company and that these remain ongoing as at the date of signing the financial statements.
“MedLab Pathology Ltd has insurance to cover these type of cases and should only be exposed to the deductible limits under the policy, therefore these cases do not impact the ability of the entity to continue as a going concern.”
The scandal surrounding CervicalCheck erupted in April 2018 following Vicky Phelan’s €2.5m High Court settlement with Clinical Pathology Laboratories, a sister lab of MedLab.
