THE care of children with orthopaedic conditions in Ireland has been described as “inadequate” and “chaotic” by specialist consultants.
Consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Connor Green said that children’s future potential is being “destroyed” physically and psychologically by inadequate access to care.
Mr Green, who carries out scoliosis surgery in Cappagh and Temple Street hospitals, made a passionate plea to overhaul the system at the Oireachtas Health Committee.
He told the committee that scoliosis represents about 20 per cent of his practice, and the failures in the system also affect children with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hip deformities and limb deformities.
Mr Green told the committee that these children are in so much pain and so ashamed of their appearance that they miss more school than they attend and spend their childhood on waiting lists.
‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH WAIT TIMES’
There are currently 43,844 children on the outpatient waiting list.
He said: “I think that it’s dishonest of us in any way to blame the pandemic on the waiting list in scoliosis and in paediatric orthopaedics.
“It’s made it more challenging, certainly, but the numbers were there before it started.”
Most read in The Irish Sun
He rejected claims by the HSE, which blamed excessive waiting lists on the pandemic and cyberattack.
He said: “The unacceptably high wait times were there before either of these events and they have made it worse, but they were there beforehand and nothing was in control before the pandemic.
“Nothing was in control before the cyberattack.“I have said to the people who have issued letters on my waiting list that I do not want that put on the letters because it is dishonest.
“I think one thing people need to be is honest with families. Don’t tell them we’re going to solve this next year. It is not going to be solved next year. It is impossible.
‘LET FAMILIES KNOW’
“You will not recruit the number of surgeons, you will not build the infrastructure, you will not put the support in the communities.“
“Let families know not to be hanging on.
“I fight one day at a time and I try to get to Friday.”
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) told the committee that its annual target of carrying out 382 spinal treatments was “decimated” last year due to Covid-19.
It said a total of 322 procedures were carried out.