Children’s Health Ireland bosses plan to send Irish kids stuck on surgery waiting lists abroad for their operations | BXA59LX | 2024-05-07 00:08:01
Children's Health Ireland bosses plan to send Irish kids stuck on surgery waiting lists abroad for their operations | BXA59LX | 2024-05-07 00:08:01
BOSSES at Children's Health Ireland spoke with medics in other countries this week to discuss sending Irish kids stuck on spinal surgery waiting lists abroad for their ops.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has told Irish officials the State will pay to send children and their families overseas.
And he vowed they will stump up the cash even if kids have to go outside the treatment abroad scheme — an EU programme that sees patients flown to EU nations, the UK or Switzerland for procedures not available in a timely manner in Ireland.
Minister Donnelly said: "If we can find this treatment in the United States, Canada or wherever it may be, CHI has been told that as long as it is clinically appropriate for these children the State will fund it, we will fund their families going over and we will support the whole thing."
The Minister met with the clinical lead for the children's spinal surgery service, Dr David Moore, along with the chief execs of the CHI and HSE earlier this week.
He said that CHI chiefs were already in talks this week with international health providers to try and secure surgeries for children stuck on Ireland's waiting lists.
The Irish Sun's Kids Can't Wait campaign is calling for immediate action from the Government to help children languishing on waiting lists.
Minister Donnelly revealed the latest plan to tackle the long waits in a debate with Sinn Fein's David Cullinane in the Dail this week.
The Sinn Fein health spokesman raised the case of Paddy Murphy, 14, from Co Galway — who this week told The Irish Sun he's been waiting over four years for his spinal operation.
And the TD pressed the Minister on independent second opinions for children on the waiting lists, which has been a key ask from parent-run advocacy groups.
But Minister Donnelly poured cold water over the idea of the State funding second opinions.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> He said: "The feedback from the CHI surgeons is that while we can secure a second opinion from [London's] Great Ormond Street or wherever we want, they ask what happens then. It is still the same surgeons here trying to do the work."
This comes after the mother of a 14-year-old boy left waiting FOUR YEARS for spinal surgery has told how the health system has "failed" her lad.
Paddy Murphy, who lives in Headford, Co Galway has spina bifida and scoliosis and was told back in 2020 that he would require spinal surgery to correct the curve in his back.
But since then, the curve in his spine has gotten worse and is now at 100 degrees — making it hard for the youngster to push his wheelchair.
Mum Megan said: "He knows well how much he's been let down and how much he's been failed."
And Paddy, who loves to play wheelchair basketball with the Galway Speeders, yesterday told The Irish Sun: "It's not fair."
Our Kids Can't Wait campaign is calling on the Government to fix waiting lists so children like Paddy get their much-needed ops ASAP.
The curve in Paddy's spine is causing him pain and discomfort.
But a doctor recently told Paddy and his family that it has progressed so much they are unsure whether he should still get surgery.
The medic told them they fear the operation could cause complications because his curve is not typical.
And Paddy, whose worsening condition is making it more difficult for him to move his chair and play wheelchair basketball, is fed up.
He told us: "I'm annoyed, I hate not knowing now if I have been left too long; if I need it I just want to get it over with.
"I can't believe I have a 100-degree curve. I'm trying to be active for my health and my lungs are not working properly and it's hard to push my chair. It's not fair."
Mum Megan believes that if her son had the surgery even two years ago then he would be fine.
But as they now worry about Paddy losing his movement, she declared: "There was nothing done and this is where we are at now."
He turns 15 shortly and Megan is terrified that he will age out of the Children's Health Ireland system and end up on a completely different waiting list in the adult hospitals.
</div> </div></p><div class="hashtags">#childrens #health #ireland #bosses #plan #send #irish #kids #stuck #surgery #waiting #lists #abroad #operations #US #UK #NZ #PH #NY #LNDN #Manila #Politics </div></div> More >> https://ift.tt/sKiX0Lj Source: MAG NEWS
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