Galway Bay fm newsroom – One fifth of Galway women are not availing of free cervical cancer screening.
That’s according to the newly published national Cervical Screening Programme annual report for 2014/2015.
The report says more women than ever are availing of the free screenings, which aim to detect cervical cancer, or risk factors for the disease.
Two in ten women in Galway who are eligible for a free cervical check have NOT availed of an appointment in the past five years.
Cervical Check says cervical cancer takes a long time to develop, and often has no symptoms – so regular screening is essential.
Each year, around 300 Irish women are diagnosed with cervical cancer.
All women aged between 25 and 60 can avail of free cervical screening every 3 to 5 years.