It's emerged a medical lab that takes up to seven months to process smear tests for the HSE has been fast-tracking the results for private patients.
MedLab in Sandyford has been able to turn around the cervical cancer tests in just two weeks for private patients, according to the Sunday Business Post.
There's currently a backlog of 78,000 smear test samples for public patients, and the HSE says there's no extra lab capacity to deal with it.
Labour health spokesman Alan Kelly says it's not right to have a fast lane in the health system open only to those who can pay.
"This is a really serious issue and Simon Harris cannot ignore it. I note that he said it was 'disappointing'. 'Disappointing' doesn't cut it," he said.
"We have women who are waiting up to seven months, possibly getting delayed diagnosis in a small amount of cases, and there will be consequences of same."
"This is totally unacceptable. Public or private, they should be the same, and the contract of the state through the HSE should be treated as a priority."
