Govt offers to compensate victims in Gisborne cancer inquiry

11.30am - By MARTIN JOHNSTON

The Government has made a settlement offer to 61 women who are seeking compensation for the misreading of cervical-smear slides by former Gisborne pathologist Dr Michael Bottrill.

"The proposal has been forwarded to us over the Christmas-New Year period," a lawyer representing the women, Bruce Corkill, said today.

Details of the package had been sent to the women, he said. He and another lawyer would meet with the women in Gisborne next week to discuss the offer.

Mr Corkill said the amount of compensation and other details were confidential, but it was likely that he would say more after the meeting.

Before the offer, the women began a lawsuit claiming $150,000 each for trauma and mental injury as a result of having their smears misread. They want $50,000 from Dr Bottrill and $100,000 from the Government.

An investigation, which began in 1999, into cervical screening in Gisborne found almost 2000 women had their results misread.

Most had results from Dr Bottrill's laboratory, which reported a lower degree of abnormality than was found after re-reading.

Herald feature: Gisborne Cervical Screening Inquiry