A NEW law that would force the HSE to provide care for kids needing urgent spinal surgeries will move forward this week.
A group of independent senators had tabled the Scoliosis Treatment Services Bill last year.
It was in a bid to force the HSE to provide permanent resources to tackle waiting lists for surgeries.
The last Government did not oppose the Bill, which has now been resurrected by the group of senators and will move to committee stage this week for a debate.
This debate will give Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill the opportunity to set out her position on the waiting lists for orthopaedic surgeries — an issue which was repeatedly raised with the last Government.
Former Tanaiste and ex-Attorney General Michael McDowell told The Irish Sun the minister needs to show her commitment to this issue in the debate on Wednesday.
He said: “The purpose of the Bill is to require the HSE to take this issue seriously. It is to afford treatment overseas if necessary to deal with everybody in a timely fashion.
“While the numbers have fallen, the progress made to date is not good enough.
“The Programme for Government contains promises to those affected by paediatric spinal conditions, including to resource the paediatric spinal surgery management unit, coordinate spinal services across hospitals, increase staffing and resources to ensure adequate surgical capacity, and use private capacity, both domestically and internationally, to support our public service.
“I hope to raise all these issues with the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, during the debate.”
Former Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had pushed funding into a new dedicated spinal unit to increase the number of surgeries that could be carried out and freed up funding to enable children to travel overseas to get surgeries.
On the back of these actions, the number of kids waiting for surgeries has fallen in the last six months.
The Irish Sun started its Kids Can’t Wait campaign last year, aiming to shine a light on how the State is failing sick children and give their families a voice.
Our Kids Can’t Wait Campaign
WAITING lists in Ireland have long been a national disgrace.
More than 106,000 children are on hospital waiting lists for all treatments. However, a new source of shame has emerged as 327 children wait for life changing spinal surgeries.
Their conditions are getting worse while they languish on waiting lists.
Such are the delays, many child patients will be outside the therapeutic window when their treatments are approved.
Earlier this month, the Seanad heard how at least one child has become permanently paralysed since the issue was raised publicly before Christmas.
Their plight has been spearheaded by campaigning Senator Tom Clonan, who himself has a child with a disability.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has even admitted that the health service is failing these kids.
Children are being allowed to deteriorate due to mismanagement, which has allowed the waiting lists to grow.
The Irish Sun’s Kids Can’t Wait campaign aims to shine a light on how the State is failing sick children and give their families a voice.
It will also force the Government to do something to clear the backlog of operations and give these children a chance of living a normal life.
