Women get compensation for misread smears

12.00pm

The Government is paying compensation ranging from $5000 to $40,000 to women whose cervical smears were misread by retired Gisborne pathologist Michael Bottrill, it was reported today.

The compensation, averaging $25,000, has been paid to 44 women and the largest amounts went to those most affected by the misread smears, National Radio reported, citing documents obtained under the Official Information Act.

Dozens of women developed cervical cancer and some died after under-reporting of smears during the 1990s by Dr Bottrill.

The smears were misread, and high grade abnormalities were interpreted as normal.

Affected women jointly sought $150,000 each and one of them, known as Patient A, last month reached an out-of-court settlement with Dr Bottrill in an exemplary damages case.

About 60 women sought the compensation. The largest payments were made to those who had radical treatment for invasive cancer and to the families of those who died.

It is costing the Government a total $1.4 million, including more than $100,000 legal costs and contingency money for up to 10 further payments.

The women began a lawsuit against the Government and Dr Bottrill, a retired Gisborne pathologist, in 2001 after a ministerial inquiry into the under-reporting of cervical smear abnormalities in the region.

The inquiry, headed by lawyer Ailsa Duffy, QC, found that Dr Bottrill and the Health Ministry should share the blame for under-reporting that led to dozens of women developing cervical cancer and some dying.

An investigation found that almost 2000 women had their smears misread, mostly by Dr Bottrill's laboratory.

A later independent report issued 46 recommendations on changes to the national screening programme which are still being implemented. It found that only limited measures were being taken to guarantee high coverage and attendance in the cervical screening programme.

- NZPA