Row over cancer screening accuracy rate

A FIERCE row has broken out over claims that the US medical firm contracted for the national cervical cancer screening programme has a poor accuracy rate compared with its Irish rivals.

Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said he had serious concerns about the award of the contract to Quest Diagnostics which will carry out 300,000 cervical smear tests per year.

“Patient safety is paramount here and Irish labs have a 95% accuracy rate. Quest, by comparison, have an 85% accuracy rate and a margin of error of 15%,” he said.