Every woman living in Ireland has been invited to sign a petition calling for a free nationwide cervical cancer screening programme.
Ireland has one of the highest incidences of cervical cancer in the European Union. Some 70 women die of the disease here each year.
The petition, being held on the Irish Cancer Society's website, www.cancer.ie, is also open to men.
The ICS, which today began a major advertising campaign on television and radio to raise awareness of the issue, has been lobbying Government for some time to introduce free smear testing for all.
Such tests are widely available in many other European countries, the ICS said.
The society has advised all women over the age of 25 to visit their GP or local family planning clinic for regular smear tests. Regular testing can detect abnormal cells in the cervix before they become cancerous. One thousand such cases are detected in Ireland each year; these cases are normally easily treatable.
ICS chief executive John McCormack said a nationwide cervical cancer screening programme was first promised by the Government ten years ago and was subsequently promised by successive governments.
"However despite the case for such a programme being so well proven, we have no idea as to when budget will be allocated to implementing this programme and when nationwide screening will begin," he said.
Those seeking further information on cervical smears and/or cervical cancer can ring the National Cancer Helpline on Freefone 1800 200700 (week days 9am-5pm; Tuesdays, up to 9pm).