"Behind every missed target is a life at risk."
That's according to Co Monaghan businessman Neill Dunwoody who reacted to figures which revealed that targets were missed over the last two years by the HSE when it comes to the 'Breast Check' national screening service. It screened just over 137,000 women for breast cancer last year, compared to a target of 195,000.
According to Neill, his company SPRYT has boosted NHS screening uptakes by 160%.
Despite this, Neill says he can't even get a conversation with the HSE or the National Screening Service in Ireland.
SPRYT created an AI-powered virtual receptionist that helps healthcare providers improve patient engagement and reduce missed appointments via WhatsApp, SMS, and RCS. The business founded by Daragh Donohue and Neill Dunwoody in 2022 with the support of the Local Enterprise Office Monaghan.
The Co Monaghan man says he knows just how vital the Breast Check service is after his own mother went through breast cancer a number of years ago.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Neill believes Ireland deserves better: "The fact is that we know we can hit the ground running, and we know that we can make a difference in a matter of weeks. It's very hard to work in healthcare in Ireland compared to most other countries. Every delay costs lives and every solution like ours that is ignored also costs lives. We need to look at these together and tackle this issue now because the longer we let it fester the worse it will become."
