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Minister for Health Simon Harris TD has opened the inaugural meeting of the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) today.

Minister Harris said,

I had the pleasure of attending the first meeting of the National Screening Advisory Committee this morning. The Committee members bring such a wide variety of expertise and experience from various backgrounds. We have experts from areas such as the medical profession, the legal profession, health economics, journalism, politics and many more including two members representing the public voice.

I want to thank each of them for their leadership in accepting this role. The challenges are well known but I strongly believe this committee will play a vital role in educating people about screening and crucially helping to increase uptake in the country.

Screening saves lives and we need to protect it. As Minister, I am fully committed to supporting essential screening services and maintaining trust in our screening programmes. I look forward to working with the committee in this regard.

The Chair of the Committee, Professor Niall O’Higgins, said:

Following the recommendation of Dr Scally's report, the Minister has moved rapidly to appoint the National Screening Advisory Committee to advise him on new proposals and on existing screening programmes.

The members of the Committee are determined to be effective in their role. Drawing on the scope and depth of expertise available, it is hoped to reinvigorate the programmes that are in place, to propose new programmes and to restore public confidence in health screening, a strategy that has been proven to improve survival and reduce ill-health in many potentially serious diseases.

Chair of the National Screening Advisory Committee

• Professor Niall O’Higgins, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University College Dublin.  

National Screening Advisory Committee Members

• Dr Abigail Collins, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, National Cancer Control Programme
• Dr John Ward, Consultant Radiologist, University Hospital Galway
• Dr. Mary Codd, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCD
• Dr Sheelagh McGuinness, Reader in Law, University of Bristol Law School
• Dr Velma Harkins, General Practitioner, Offaly
• Professor Andrew Green, Consultant in Clinical Genetics and Professor of Medical Genetics, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.
• Dr James O’Mahony, Assistant Research Professor, Centre for Health Policy and Management, School of Medicine, Trinity College
• Martina Fitzgerald, Journalist
• Irene Regan, Chief Medical Scientist, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital
• John Gleeson, Solicitor and former partner in Mason Hayes and Curran Solicitors
• Dr Susan Kent, Assistant National Director, HSE and former Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health
• Dr Keelin O’Donoghue, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Cork University Maternity Hospital
• Dr Ellen Crushell, Consultant Paediatrician with a special interest in Inherited Metabolic Disorders, Temple Street, Children’s University Hospital and Our Lady’s Children Hospital
• Dr Paul D’Alton, Associate Professor Principal Clinical Psychologist, St Vincent’s University Hospital.
• Dr Paul Kavanagh, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE.
• Anne Burke (Public Voice)
• Jillian van Turnhout (Public Voice)
• Professor Michael Rigby, Professor Emeritus of Health Information Strategy, Keele University.
• Professor Ciaran O’Neill, Professor of Health Economics, Queens University Belfast.