Tolan shares her feelings on having smear test in wake of Cervical Screening scandal

In an open and honest post about her feelings after having a smear test done yesterday, Meath Councillor Sharon Tolan articulated what many women around the country are thinking as she questioned if they can trust the system in light of the Cervical Screening scandal.

In a video posted on Twitter, Cllr Tolan spoke of the "odd feeling" she had this time, coming from her smear test, "not a feeling of comfort" and said this is wrong. However, she still encouraged women to ensure the are part of the screening programme.

She spoke of how she just out of her GP's surgery having had a smear done with the nurse, and while usually she feels relieved, "like its another box ticked", even though you are never fully relieved until you get the letter back with the all clear, this time she didn't know how she felt.

"Today I have a strange sense of, I don't really know.....are women around the country feeling they can't trust the system. Can they trust the system?" she asked.

"It's an odd feeling, not a feeling of comfort and that is wrong. I'm hoping that we'll get some more answers to the cervical smear scandal and I'm hoping that the women of this country and myself and my sisters and my nieces will all feel confident in the screening programme that is such an important screening programme, that is a crucial programme and I would encourage women to ensure that they are included in that screening programme.

"Today I feel like I just don't know. It's not a nice way to feel."

 

 

Posting the video she wrote that she felt very unsure about the whole process, tagging Health Minister Simon Harris. " Should I and the women of Ireland feel confident in the system @SimonHarrisTD or will we will forever more wonder....can I 100% trust this system?” she wrote.