TUV calls for accuracy from health department as minister admits men could be called for cervical screening
The TUV has criticised Stormont’s health minister for being unable to give an “absolute assurance” that men won’t receive invites for women’s screening programmes, such as smear tests.
In a letter to North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston, Mike Nesbitt explained that because of the way data is gathered on a person’s sex, men may receive invitations aimed at women.
The UUP minister said there is no clear and consistent policy on how sex and gender are recorded.
Mr Gaston said: “I asked the Health Minister for an assurance that his Department had not been issuing letters to biological men inviting them for smear tests or other medical screening programmes which specifically apply to women.
“The answer I have received is deeply concerning. The Minister has confirmed that eligibility for screening is determined according to age and an individual’s ‘registered sex’. Crucially, his response goes on to admit that ‘registered sex is an administrative data field and is not the same as biological sex’.
“He then concludes that, because there is no clear and consistent policy governing how sex and gender are defined and recorded across health systems, “it is not possible to provide absolute assurance that a biological male will not receive a letter for a screening test intended for a biological woman”.
“That is an extraordinary admission. Biological sex is not an administrative technicality when it comes to healthcare. There are screening programmes which exist precisely because of the biological differences between men and women.
“A man does not have a cervix and cannot require cervical screening” he said.
“Rather than constructing health systems around an administrative record which the Department itself admits may not correspond with biological sex, surely the sensible approach is to ensure that screening programmes based upon sex are administered according to biological sex.
“This is not merely a matter of terminology. Screening programmes exist to identify serious disease among the people who are biologically at risk. Accuracy ought therefore to be fundamental”.
The Department said: “Nothing further to add to the response given to Timothy Gaston”.