Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I welcome the fact that she says there is an active recruitment campaign. We often hear about posts being advertised and interviews taking place, but the filling of the post is critical. That is where a timeline is required. I realise that sometimes the HSE cannot appoint consultants as quickly as they are needed, but I appeal to the Minister of State to ask the Minister to insist to the HSE and CHI that this matter be prioritised. We all understand the restrictions due to Covid-19 and the slowdown in services. However, there was a three-year waiting list before Covid-19 and a totally unacceptable waiting time for MRI scans.

There is another issue. I understand that University College Dublin, UCD, working with the parents of some of these children, has developed an information leaflet that would be of benefit to general practitioners and other healthcare professionals. That was to be distributed widely throughout the medical and nursing community, but I do not think it has happened. It was a partnership between UCD and parents to highlight and try to create a greater awareness of the incidence and prevalence of arthritis in children with Down's syndrome. That awareness campaign should be facilitated and brought forward as well.

I received another message from parents of children with Down's syndrome, particularly those who have arthritis as well. They want the public services to listen to them. Far too often the people providing services do not listen to the parents and families of the affected children. In many instances, unfortunately, these children are non-verbal. They depend on their parents to convey the pain they suffer and the treatment they need. I want this issue to be prioritised as much as possible. I am glad the Minister of State said there will be an active recruitment campaign. I sincerely hope we will not be discussing another year next year. We must have this appointment in 2021. As I said, before Covid-19 there was an unacceptable three-year waiting list and that has probably got worse. We need quick progress in ensuring that these children get the assessments and follow-up treatments they require. Their parents are not demanding, they just want fair play for their children.

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