CervicalCheck campaigner Lorraine Walsh says she's 'heartbroken' she can't reassure Irish women of her confidence in a review of the screening programme.
She has resigned from the Department of Health steering group, claiming she can't stand over The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' report into 1,000 women's slides.
The report - which was published yesterday - found that in around 30% of cases, it recorded a different result to the original finding.
For 159 women, including 12 who have died, it means there were missed opportunities to prevent or diagnose their cancer earlier.
The report's authors will appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee in two weeks' time.
Speaking to Pat Kenny this morning, Lorraine Walsh said she had concerns about the review's accuracy for months.
She says she resigned from the steering group at the end of October, but only announced it this week - saying it was "inappropriate to interfere" while the process was ongoing for the women involved.
She told Pat: "My concerns started way back in the summertime, when the reports started coming through from the Royal College to the HSE.
"Very early on I could see that there were issues - dates of diagnosis, dates of smears and stages of cancer were coming through inaccurate."
Ms Walsh stressed: "I'm not questioning their clinical capabilities in relation to reviewing each case - I'm questioning the accuracy of the reports that were coming back from them. Were they being checked properly, 1,038 women's reports?
"I was so upset and concerned about it that I couldn't stand up and say to the women that were involved in this that I had confidence in it."
She told Pat she was beginning to regain "a little bit of trust" in the cervical screening system - but said all her confidence has now been depleted.
Ms Walsh said: "My heart is broken.
"I wish I was able to stand up in front of the women of Ireland and say, as a patient representative, we worked hard... significant changes have been made... and I have confidence that you women affected by this can rely [on the system]."
