The legacy of the landmark Cartwright Inquiry will be examined at an event marking its 25th anniversary in Auckland tomorrow.
Emeritus Prof Charlotte Paul, one of three medical advisers to Judge Silvia Cartwright, said when contacted she would speak at the event about the cervical screening programme set up in the wake of the inquiry.
The inquiry investigated the lack of conventional treatment given to National Women's Hospital patients who had carcinoma in situ of the cervix, from 1966 onwards.
New Zealand was late by international standards to set up the screening programme, because of the resistance of Dr Herbert Green and his colleagues at National Women's.
Screening now saved about 100 lives annually, Prof Paul said. Prof Paul, who is now retired and living in Wellington, said the philosophy of the healthcare system changed after Cartwright, and patients were placed at its centre. Institutions such as the Health and Disability Commissioner were set up to protect patient rights and now played an active role.
The Cartwright Report was released in August, 1988.
