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Woman Suing HSE For Alleged Failure To Diagnose Her With Cervical Cancer

Woman Suing HSE For Alleged Failure To Diagnose Her With Cervical Cancer

A 43-year-old mother of two is suing the HSE for an alleged failure to diagnose her in time with cervical cancer.

Vicky Phelan from Annacotty in Co Limerick is now undergoing experimental drug treatment in an effort to prolong her life. The Mooncoin native works at Waterford Institute of Technology.

In May 2011, Vicky Phelan underwent a cervical smear test as part of the national screening programme.

Her sample was sent to a lab in the US where they found no abnormality.

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She was diagnosed with cervical cancer three years later.

A review of her 2011 sample showed the original report in relation to that smear was incorrect.

The reason for the false negative result was described as a “miss”.

An intensive programme of chemotherapy led to her cancer going into remission, but she was diagnosed with a more aggressive form last November and given less than a year to live with no hope of survival.

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She told the High Court today that she only found out about the review in September.

She said she was in shock and is still very angry.

Her first thought was that there was a cover up and she wondered if they were waiting for her to die so that it would go away.

Her case, which is against the HSE and the US lab that tested her sample in 2011, is expected to take up to two weeks.

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