Demonstrations to demand the Government takes action on the CervicalCheck controversy will take place throughout Ireland today, including in Eyre Square with a rally at 5pm.
The events are organised by Standing4Women, and the group is asking those attending demonstrations to "wear red and stand in solidarity with those affected by the Cervical Check scandal" and to "show the women and families affected that we are with them, that we support them, and that we are calling for speedy action by the Government, and the HSE."
Local Galway action co-ordinator Suzanne Daly says what is needed now is "full accountability over the cervical check scandal", that those in authority "be held responsible", and that the cervical cancer screening programme be "repatriated into the Irish public health system".
Standing4Women is also calling for a relevant policy for the upcoming Bill on mandatory disclosure to be implemented in conjunction with an agreed timeline; active and independent support for those affected by the scandal; and the establishment of "an immediate point of contact for those affected, and a multidisciplinary support team".
"I feel deeply let down by the Irish health sdervice," said Rosie Condra, a woman who has been impacted by the CervicalCheck failures. "I feel not only have I been mistreated and ignored but also my pain and hurt is being trivialised as though I truly were just a number. Some 209 women, each and every one has a name, has a family and have a life. We need disclosure, support and most of all to be listened to. I am calling on the Minister of Health, and involved bodies, to stop talking about me and talk to me instead."
