A hospital has said sorry to a woman with cervical cancer for
failing to detect an abnormality in her original smear test.
The apology was read to the High Court as the pensioner, who cannot be named by order of the court, settled her action against the HSE for €1.2million.
She is currently receiving palliative care for cervical cancer. In a letter of apology read to the court the general manager of Galway University Hospitals, Chris Kane, said: “We can only express our sincere regret to you for what has happened and for its devastating consequences.”
The woman’s counsel Patrick Treacy previously told the court the woman was given the all-clear on tests taken under the cervical screening programme in 2006 and 2009.
Had her first sample been correctly reported it was claimed she would have been referred for a procedure which would have meant the pre-cancer would have been eradicated with a less than 5% chance of recurrence.
Liability was conceded in the case.
Mr Justice Kevin Cross offered his sympathy to the woman whom he said had lost her husband last year.
