Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1241 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to repeal section 321-45, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which requires hospitals to offer uterine cytologic examinations to all female in-patients twenty years of age or older.

Testimony supporting this measure was received from the Department of Health, Kapiolani Medical Center, Queen's Medical Center, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that cervical cancer is a terrible disease and that the State should take all reasonable measures to assist in identifying and treating the disease as early as possible. Section 321-45, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Section 321-45), was passed nearly thirty years ago to promote uterine cytologic examinations for early detection of cervical cancer. Present medical science and technology has deemed the best way to screen for cervical cancer is on an outpatient basis, not in a hospital, by a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. Therefore, your Committee finds that this measure appropriately repeals an unnecessary and ineffective requirement.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1241 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.