Extend First Phase of Cervical Screening

Published: Friday, June 17, 2005

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) supports the call made at the first National Cervical Screening conference last Saturday (June 18th, 2005), to extend the first phase of the cervical screening programme to full population based screening. The NWCI is particularly alarmed that there has been a steady increase in the number of deaths of women from cervical cancer in the Republic in comparison to Britain, which has experienced a steady decline in cervical cancer related deaths, since population based screening was introduced in the late 1980s.

At the NWCI's Annual General Meeting last Friday (17th June 2005), members passed motions calling for the full Nationwide implementation of the Irish Cervical Screening Programme (ICSP) and a full roll-out of Breastcheck, the National Breast Screening Programme.