Minister for Health apologises to Leona Macken and family
The Minister for Health has apologised to terminally ill mother of two Leona Macken and her family.
Ms Macken also received an apology from the HSE in court yesterday over the "failings" that occurred in two smear tests which "led to" her cancer diagnosis.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the failures in Ms Macken's smear tests should not have happened.
"I want to offer my apology too in this case. What we have here is a 38-year-old woman who has been impacted by this, and so have her family, and that is so, so important," she said.
The minister added that a screening programme will have limitations, but said Ms Macken should not have had to fight for an audit into her personal records.
Patients need timely, open disclosure and resolution to their cases rather than the added stress of the court process, the minister said.
"She should not have had to fight for her records," said Ms Carroll MacNeill.
"They need a resolution to their case, and they do not need additional stress through going through the court process."
The minister added that medical negligence cases need to be treated and approached in a different way.
Speaking outside the Four Courts yesterday, Ms Macken welcomed the apology made "after two misdiagnosed smears".
"I've been fighting this since 2023. I knew that things didn't add up," she said as she sought information on her smear tests following her cancer diagnosis two years ago.
"We are told to trust the process. Something is not working in the system," she said. "Something needs to be fixed. It's not good enough."
She also highlighted the toll this has had on her family, saying she does not know what her daughters' future is going to look like because of this.
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