Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I will raise the issue of Sophia Daly. It is a case with which the Taoiseach is familiar. She is 12 years old and has cerebral palsy, arthrogryposis and scoliosis. She was diagnosed with scoliosis in 2013 and put on an urgent waiting list for surgery in April 2017. In August, 17 months later, she was taken off that list and is now not on any list even though the Minister claims only 20 people have been waiting longer than the four months which he said was the longest anybody would be waiting. I talked to Sophia's father today and she is in increasing pain. The screws in her back and hip are loosening. She may have to be taken into emergency surgery because her condition is deteriorating. Her internal organs have been affected. Her curvature has significantly increased. It is completely unacceptable. Her father, Aaron, said he has asked on several occasions to meet the Minister. The Minister, Deputy Harris, is refusing to meet Aaron. He asked me to ask the Taoiseach what he is doing about the backlog, apart from, it would appear, manipulating the figures on the extent of the backlog. What is being done with the treatment abroad scheme to clear the backlog in order that people like Sophia can get the surgery they urgently need?

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