Dr Gabriel Scally says the current policy of disclosure to patients is deeply contradictory and unsatisfactory.
More than 200 women had their smear results read incorrectly.
Dr Scally outlined how one consultant delivered the news to a family whose mother was deceased.
"They said they went in for their disclosure meeting and the consultant said several times about the late woman's smoking habit and also told them that nuns don't get cervical cancer.
"Now if that isn't paternalism, verging on misogyny. If that isn't paternalism, what is?"
Dr Scally believes there is not a need for a commission of investigation but he has made 50 recommendations.
Representatives for the women involved have called for them to be implemented as soon as possible.
One of the women affected, Lorraine Walsh, says this can never happen again.
"We can't change what has happened to us but we've been working closely with the department, with all of the people in the HSE, CervicalCheck through the steering committee over the last number of months to try and push this forward, to try and change the system and to try and make sure this doesn't happen again.
"We cannot have this happen again."
Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died from cervical cancer, says the report was hard to read.
"You have absolutely no idea of the emotion and pain that we felt yesterday going through this inquiry," Mr Teap said at a press conference.
"It is horrific for us to read, particularly for myself when I see exactly how the ending of Irene's life now can be summed up in this.
"She did everything right. She got her smear test done. She put her 100% trust and faith in the system."
Health Minister Simon Harris acknowledges women have suffered because of this.
"Certainly harm was done to women in terms of the non-disclosure and Dr Scally has been very clear on that - that extra harm, extra pain, extra suffering was added to women who already had cervical cancer and in many cases a devastating diagnosis," said Minister Harris.
"The inquiry finds no indication that my department was aware prior to April 2018 of the scale and the potential impact of the issues in respect to the handling of disclosure in relation to the CervicalCheck audit process," said Minister Harris.
"The report states that it would be unreasonable to expect senior management in the HSE and even more so department officials to have intervened on foot of the briefing notes which it describes as largely reassuring notes.
"The report also finds no evidence that a briefing from me on the cervical screening audit was ever prepared or ever took place prior to April 2018 despite some political charges to the contrary."
Main Image: Dr. Gabriel Scally, at the publication of his final report of the scoping inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme. Pic: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie
