Eight women whose smear tests were misread by screeners went on to develop cancer, a major review into cervical screening at the Southern Health Trust has found.
A further 11 women's slides were found to have pre-cancerous changes in the cells when they were reviewed and had to receive treatment.
All these women had either pre-cancerous changes to their cervix or were diagnosed with another significant gynaecological condition when their smears were reviewed.
The review was triggered when the diagnoses of three women were investigated as a Serious Adverse Incident.
Two of the women, Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbinson, have since died.
More than 17,000 were approached to have their smear tests rechecked.
The examination of cancer screening at the Southern Health Trust over 13 years found that many women were failed after some screeners underperformed and went unchecked by management for years.
Stella McLoughlin from the campaign group Ladies with Letters described what had happened as unforgivable and called for a public inquiry.
"This has been an absolute scandal from start to finish and was allowed to go on for 10 years," she added.
"Smears being misread, people not being held to account, screeners not being managed properly - all of this is affecting real people."
Source: BBC News, 11 December 2024
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