State apology a ‘huge milestone’
“If you're going to say the words 'I'm sorry', you need to know what you're saying sorry for.”
Those were the words of Carrigaline widower Stephen Teap in response to a state apology issued on Tuesday by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar regarding failures in cervical screening.
Mr Teap told the Cork Independent yesterday that the apology was a “huge milestone” for the people whose lives were affected by the failures.
He said: “Better late than never, but for me and for many people, it was the acknowledgment of the truth and all the wrongdoings of the past that was very important.
“Up until about a month ago, all the Taoiseach had to hand was Dr Gabriel Scally's report and the information on the systemic failure, but he had never actually met with the individuals that were affected by this to hear their stories first hand.”
Mr Teap’s wife Irene died of cervical cancer in 2017, one of many victims of the misread smear tests.
He said that, although the apology is very welcome, it could be “undone” if the Government doesn’t follow through on its promises.
“That's the most important thing. Things like the Scally recommendations being fully implemented and implemented correctly, and having a proper screening programme in place that we can trust,” said Mr Teap.
“One of the big things here is that we don't want to see this happen to others. If our legacy is rebuilding this system with trust, then let me be the last widower to stand in front of Leinster House for this reason,” he added.
In the State apology issued, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar apologised for the “litany of failures” in how cervical screening operated in Ireland over many years.
“Today we say sorry to those whose lives were shattered, those whose lives were destroyed, and those whose lives could have been different,” he said.
An Taoiseach went on to outline failures in leadership and management, clinical governance, and failures in telling tell the “whole truth” in a timely manner.
He said: “Today’s apology is too late for some who were affected. For others it will never be enough. Today’s apology is offered to all the people the State let down, and to the families who paid the price for those failings. A broken service, broken promises, broken lives, a debacle that left a country heartbroken. A system that was doomed to fail.”
Also responding to the apology was cervical check patient support group 221+ who released a statement describing it as a “watershed moment”.
The statement read: “It is a first step in the process of rebuilding confidence in the capacity of the State to put the patient first in the delivery of public healthcare generally, and for women’s health specifically.
“For us, the acknowledgement and this apology have huge significance. They are central to the process of healing and of rebuilding our lives, and the lives of those who love, support and care for us.”