Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have raised this matter consistently since 2015. I raised it with the Minister's predecessor, the current Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar. I have raised it with Deputy Harris on a number of occasions since he took responsibility for the Department of Health. Few cases that come across my desk are more heart wrenching than those relating to the shocking waiting times for children and young people for surgery for scoliosis. We hear the horror stories of children's lungs and hearts being slowly crushed while they wait. We hear about children who can no longer retain their food because their stomachs have been squeezed so badly as a result of their condition. These stories were read into the record of the Dáil in late 2016 by my colleague, Deputy Kelleher, following a meeting I facilitated with the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, which campaigns on behalf of the children involved.

Following the very damning television programme on RTE, which highlighted the long waiting time for young people with scoliosis, the Minister promised earlier this year that a target of a four-month waiting period for treatment of scoliosis would be met by the end of 2017. The former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, described the target as an absolute priority. Finally, we began to see meaningful action, although in 2014, 2015 and 2016 the resources were not provided and the scoliosis waiting lists were allowed to grow far too long. However, the problem remains. The number of children at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin and Children's University Hospital Temple Street waiting longer than four months for surgery has grown by 17%. In March, there were 134 children waiting for longer than four months for spinal fusion or surgery at the two hospitals. By last month, that number had increased to 145. The figures from the HSE show this.

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