Poorer women more likely to have abnormal smear result

Women from poorer backgrounds are more likely to have an abnormal smear test result than those from more well-off areas, according to the Dublin Well Woman Centre.

In its latest annual report, the centre is calling for greater efforts to ensure that poorer women can continue to get access to free screening under the National Cancer Screening Programme.

The report shows that there was a higher percentage of women with medical cards referred for a colposcopy compared to the number of women who were being treated privately at the clinics.