Last month no mammograms were carried out by BreastCheck and there was a 96% reduction in samples sent to CervicalCheck labs for analysis following a decision to pause both cancer screening programmes due to Covid-19.
Opposition parties have warned that the temporary suspension could have long term consequences and have called for a comprehensive catch-up programme.
Figures obtained by RTÉ News show that there were no mammograms carried out by BreastCheck in April this year compared to 13,763 in the same month last year.
While CervicalCheck labs received 937 samples for analysis in April this year compared to 21,037 in April 2019. The Health Service Executive said the reduced number of tests received is due to the fact that cervical