Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to take this matter today. I very much hope he is aware of the issue of the many children throughout the country who are suffering from juvenile arthritis. The need for these children to see a paediatric rheumatologist is extremely urgent. As things stand, Ireland has the equivalent of 2.5 paediatric rheumatologists available whereas international best practice indicates that we ought to have six. Children are routinely waiting for up to two years while in chronic pain without being dealt with or seen notwithstanding the fact that they ought to be monitored every three months after that. I recently brought the Irish Children's Arthritis Network, a group of parents, to the House and we had the opportunity to meet the then Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy McEntee, standing in for the Minister, Deputy Harris. Unfortunately, little or nothing has happened on foot of that. The HSE has given a response which, pathetically, refers to competing priorities. If we are not prioritising the health of children, we have our priorities all wrong.

The situation with juvenile arthritis is such that if these growing children are not seen and monitored at optimum levels, they will be left to take medications and drugs which are in fact biological agents with very serious and negative side effects. As they are growing, the condition leads to skeletal deformity. For our response as a nation to be to refer to competing priorities is just not good enough. The 2.5 consultants are a half-time consultant in Temple Street and two consultants at Crumlin children's hospital. That level of appointments is four below what it should. We ought to have six nationally. The consultants we have are saying they do not have the staff, the capacity or the resources to do what they as physicians know is international best practice. It is what they want to do and cannot do but yet we are referring to competing priorities.

The response from the HSE indicates that we are prioritising adult rheumatology services with the resources going in that direction. While nobody wants to see those people suffer either, young and growing children should be the priority. If they are not seen in a timely fashion and monitored in the way I have said, they will develop skeletal deformities and other problems. If we are simply talking about pounds, shillings and pence, which we should not be, that will inevitably cost the State more in the longer term as larger and more significant surgical and other interventions and care will be required. The State will be expected to provide that.

There are 1,000 children nationally who are affected in this regard. There will always be more as more are born. It is in every county. I think of a specific family in Grange, County Sligo. My own cousin has a daughter who suffers from this. I am very well briefed on the challenge. While it is a case of loaves and fishes in the Department of Health to try to have enough resources to meet all demands and needs, there is no one alive, sick or healthy, who would not understand and commend us as a nation on prioritising children. I appeal to the Minister of State to intervene and to seek immediately to employ additional paediatric rheumatologists to bring us up to six consultants. We should then begin to provide outreach services in the larger university hospitals nationally to prevent so many children having to travel. In the first instance, let us get these children seen, if necessary with the benefit of the national treatment purchase fund.

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