The Cartwright Inquiry 1988

Silvia Cartwright, an Auckland District Court Judge was appointed by the then Minister of Health, Michael Bassett in June 1987 to conduct an Inquiry into allegations concerning the treatment of cervical cancer at National Women’s Hospital, and other related matters.

This was prompted by an article written by Sandra Coney and Phillida Bunkle and published in the June 1987 edition of Metro magazine.

The Report of the Committee of Inquiry was released on 5 August 1988 and provided a detailed analysis of the evidence presented to the Inquiry as well as the findings and recommendations.

The recommendations were key to the establishment of a national, centrally coordinated screening programme.

Page last updated: 22 November 2014