Covid-19 (Health): Statements
Dail Éireann — 2020-06-11
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Peadar Tóibín (AON), Meath West

A good chunk of my time has been taken by the Minister. I am not sure I have got an answer to the four specific questions I asked but I will move on to the next section. We know from a document that was referenced in yesterday's Irish Daily Mail that up to 200,000 women are waiting for screenings. The chief executive of the National Screening Service, NSS, has warned that when the screening restarts the capacity will only allow for approximately 50% of the number of people to be able to be screened with regards to the pre-Covid levels. That is deeply worrying because not only do many people have this long wait, it also means that by the time we get through that backlog many months will have passed. What measures has the Minister taken, or will he take, to make sure that we have the necessary capacity to address the cancer screening backlog that has arisen?
I have a couple more questions on that. The last statement from the National Screening Service website was updated on 5 May. It is not acceptable that many women are sitting at home deeply concerned with regard to their well-being and these delays. I would be grateful if the Minister would ensure that the NSS publishes updates on its website more frequently so that people could get clear information on it.
A good deal of information is emerging with regard to nursing homes and care homes here. There is a long list of decisions that were made which have led to those who are most vulnerable in our society being the most exposed in this crisis. I cannot think of another situation in the history of Ireland where more people died in institutions. Care champions have echoed a request by Aontú recently for a full public investigation into what happened in nursing homes. Will the Minister commit to a full public investigation here today?

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:21+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-06-11