Four-month delay in urgent smear tests slashed to four weeks

THE length of time for women in Kerry waiting the re-examination of abnormal smear test results has been “significantly improved”, according to the Health Service Executive.

Exactly a year ago, about 200 cases — 80 of which were deemed clinically urgent — were waiting up to four months for follow-up examinations at the hospital.

At the time, the backlog of women awaiting colposcopies — special visual examinations to assess the severity of a problem — was so great that the hospital sought help from the National Treatment Purchase Fund to tackle the waiting list. This was regarded as an exceptional development, given that the fund does not normally carry out diagnostic procedures.