CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan has accused the Government of making “token apologies” to women who received delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of cervical cancer.
The Mooncoin native was speaking following the death of Patricia Carrick last night, after her cancer was missed by CervicalCheck.
President Michael D Higgins expressed his sympathies to Ms Carrick’s families and said it was an appropriate time to think of those failed by the State.
Earlier this month, the Taoiseach apologised to Patricia and her husband Damien in the Dáil.
But Vicky Phelan, told Galway Bay FM, state apologies “mean nothing” saying “People need to know that this is what’s going on because, you know, on the one hand the government when they come out and speak about this we had a state apology last year which really meant nothing because here we are fighting a year later for a tribunal to be fit for purpose for the women and their families so it’s all tokenism”.
She added that the Carricks and their solicitor Cian O’Carroll are still fighting for justice, noting “Cian was in court last week actually with the solicitors for, you know the legal representation for the state literly trying to fight for Patrica’s settlement money to be paid out so they are still fighting even while, after Patricia won her case, they’re still fighting her, it just beggers belief at this stage”.
Ms Phelan also said “A lot of women don’t pass peacefully, not just women, people die from cancer, you know. some people don’t have a peaceful death so I think it’s very important and I’m glad to hear that she did have a a peaceful death in the end and that she got home, I think that was very important for her that she got home”.
