A member of a Government expert panel has criticised the delay in recommending whether a cervical cancer vaccine should be provided under a National Immunisation programme.
Consultant paediatrician and member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, Dr Kevin Connolly, said the panel should have made a decision on the vaccine Gardasil well before now.
The Gardasil vaccine was licensed in Europe nearly a year ago and a number of countries have already approved it for use under public health vaccination programmes for girls.
The vaccine guards against certain types of the human papillomavirus, which is the cause of most cases of cervical cancer.
Dr Connolly also expressed concern about funding being provided by the Health Service Executive to ensure that the committee's recommendations are followed through.
The Department of Health and Children said the Health Information and Quality Authority was conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the vaccine for different age groups and when the various groups make their reports the Minister for Health would make a decisions.
The recent Fianna Fáil-Green Party Programme for Government includes a commitment that the cervical cancer vaccine will be provided as a universal health entitlement, once it is recommended by experts.
In June, a similar panel of experts recommended to the British government that the vaccine be provided to all girls aged between 12 and 13 years, once it is deemed financially viable.
The Chief Executive of the All Ireland Cancer Foundation, Dr Henrietta Campbell, said that a cervical cancer vaccination programme is expected to be in place in Northern Ireland by September next year and will include a schools vaccination scheme.
She said the health service in the republic should take a lead and try and have such a programme in place even earlier, given the proven benefits.
