Press Release: Monday 10 March 2025
Minister for Health announces €530,000 to support Ireland’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD has today announced €530,000 in funding for cervical cancer elimination. The funding from the Women’s Health Fund will support the delivery of Ireland’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan which aims to make cervical cancer a rare disease in Ireland by 2040.
Ireland was one of the first countries in the world to commit to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global initiative to eradicate cervical cancer. This will be achieved by meeting the WHO’s targets for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates, cervical screening and early treatment.
The next steps in reaching these goals are set out in the recently published Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan 2025-2030. These include an emphasis on increasing vaccination and screening rates in underserved communities.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
“Quality healthcare is equitable healthcare, and our efforts to eradicate cervical cancer must not leave anyone behind. I’m pleased that the funding I’m announcing today will place a particular focus on reaching and responding to the needs of people who may not ordinarily connect with our health services. If we can better understand the potential barriers to vaccination and screening, we can more effectively support people to engage with effective preventative healthcare.
“Last week, I highlighted several Women’s Health Fund initiatives that positively affect women’s lives through prevention, early intervention, and targeted treatment. None are more transformative or significant than our ability to eliminate a cancer. In Ireland, every year around 250 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 82 women die from the disease.
“Behind these figures are real experiences of women and their families who have been devastated by illness that is largely preventable. We must continue to work together to increase HPV vaccination rates and screening rates, particularly in marginalised groups, in order to get closer to a cervical-cancer free future.”
The investment announced today will support implementation of the actions associated with each the three parallel goals of vaccination, screening and early treatment. Initiatives include:
- A pilot programme to improve HPV vaccination rates in underserved communities including Traveller, Roma and migrant women.
- Research into the uptake of HPV vaccination in schools, in order to understand information needs and create targeted information resources.
- Examining specific interventions like introducing HPV self-sampling options to the cervical screening programme in order to improve uptake in under-screened populations.
- Funding of a gynaecology fellowship post to ensure suitable specialist skills are available for the small number of women who will require treatment.
Director of Public Health, National Screening Service and Cervical Cancer Elimination Partnership Lead Dr Caroline Mason Mohan said:
“Funding from the Women’s Health Fund is helping us achieve our vision to make cervical cancer rare in every community in Ireland. Equity is the overarching priority in our action plan, and in reaching this vision. Developing community partnerships and community-driven communications are essential to reach underserved and marginalised groups.
“The Women’s Health Fund is a key support in our work to enable communities to lead locally, to achieve global targets and improve women’s experience of healthcare. Communities connect people with person-centred public health services. They build trust. They innovate. They can shape and tailor the appropriate actions to meet their own specific needs.”
