'Poor women need access to screening'The Government has been warned that it must not make it more difficult for poorer women to have access to screening for cervical cancer. Poorer women are more likely to have abnormal smear tests results, the Dublin Well Woman Centres have stressed. They say extra efforts will be needed to ensure that poorer women can continue to access free screening for cervical cancer under the National Cervical Screening Programme. Well Woman said the rate of abnormal smears that required further investigation was disproportionately higher among medical card holders. The Centres' latest annual report shows that medical card holders attending their clinic in Coolock, Dublin for a smear test were more likely to require a colposcopy test for further investigation in hospital following an abnormal smear than their counterparts at their Dublin 4 clinic. Well Woman's Chief Executive, Alison Begas, said that with the national screening programme likely to revise the operation of its free screening scheme, extra emphasis should be placed on recruiting patients who are likely to have poorer health outcomes. The current cervical screening programme offers free smear-testing to all women in the country aged 25 to 60. They simply have to call and make an appointment with a locally-registered smeartaker, such as a GP. However, Ms Begas said that under planned revisions to the scheme, a pre-registration system for women seeking a smear test may be introduced. This, it is feared, could create extra barriers for women trying to access the service. "Streamlining of the programme should not in any way make it difficult for poorer women to avail of screening," Ms Begas said. She said while online registration might be a useful tool in managing screening demand, many poorer women did not have access to a computer and in some cases, did not have the skills to use one. The Well Woman Clinics also reported a continued increase in the number of women attending for emergency contraception in 2008. See also...http://www.wellwomancentre.ie/
[Posted: Tue 14/07/2009] |
