Emma Mhic Mhathúna settled her case against the HSE and a US laboratory for €7.5m on Friday, and told the media her victory demonstrates "the power of standing up for yourself."
Emma Mhic Mhathúna, the mother of five children who recently discovered that she was terminally ill - having received incorrect smear test results - has settled her case against the Health Service Executive and a US laboratory for €7.5m.
Mhic Mhathúna was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016 but later found out she had been given the all clear from a previous smear test in 2013 by mistake.
That smear test had, unknown to the Co. Kerry woman, shown early signs of cancer.
Mhic Mhathúna decided take a case against both the HSE and the laboratory used by CervicalCheck, and speaking after the settlement was made she said that the outcome was good news for women all over the country.
Speaking to reporters, including JOE's Michael Lanigan, she said: "The higher the money, and the more apologies they have to give, the more they're going to have to make changes because nobody likes parting with money.
"Eventually they'll get fed up handing out high amounts of money and (they'll realise) it'll just be easier to do the smear test properly in the first place.
"It would make sense to check the smear test rather than handing out a big cheque."
Asked how her children are dealing with today's settlement, she replied: "They're very proud of me and they know when I mean business."
Finally, Emma Mhic Mhathúna insisted that the settlement shows "the power of standing up for yourself" and that people will no longer accept "cheap smear test being done."
She concluded: "This is people's lives we're talking about."
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