Tears shed as bill supported by late Vicky Phelan is approved

Campaigners for the Patient Safety Bill have been expressing mixed emotions surrounding its approval in the Dáil yesterday.

The bill was highly campaigned by the late Vicky Phelan, who tragically passed away in November of last year after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

The new bill will, in future, make it mandatory for patients to be told that they have a right to a review of their cancer screening results.

The Patient Safety Bill was drafted as a direct response to the CervicalCheck scandal, which uncovered that over 221 women had had inaccurate smear test results.

The bill was hugely advocated by the 221+ group, which was set up in July 2018 and was founded by Vicky, alongside Stephen Teap and Lorraine Walsh.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio programme earlier today, Lorraine Walsh spoke of the bittersweet emotions that she and the rest of the advocacy group felt as their bill was approved by the government yesterday. 

“It was a very proud day … proud and sad. It was difficult that Vicky wasn’t with us yesterday. She was the lady that kickstarted a lot of this off,” she praised.

“Obviously, the Patient Safety Bill covers a lot of other issues but it was very important to her that there would be open disclosure going forward in relation to the screening service and that will now happen,” Lorraine explained.

The campaigner was then asked if she thinks if this new bill would have made a difference to both her situation and the lives of other women, if it had been introduced sooner. “A lot of women, after being diagnosed, say and ask the question ‘How did this happen? I’ve had my smears, my smears have come back ok, and how am I in a situation where I now have cancer?’”, Lorraine noted.

“This opportunity will happen now that it will be offered, after the point of diagnosis, a review of your smears or your screening prior to your diagnosis,” she added.

Going forward, the bill must now pass through the Seanad, and then it will become law once it has been signed by President Michael D Higgins.