Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the core questions we need to get to the bottom of. I am deeply frustrated that I do not yet have a satisfactory answer because I have posed this question to Children's Health Ireland on more than one occasion, as have my officials. We know there has been a very large investment and a really fantastic clinical workforce has turned that money into far more surgeries happening. However, the waiting list did not fall as it should have fallen. We have no evidence there is a higher incidence of scoliosis or spina bifida in the country. Therefore, why are additional reviews coming in? Is it because now that there is additional capacity, children with lower levels of acuity are being referred in who might not have been referred in previously? The Deputy's question is exactly the same question I asked. Is it actually because the children involved are receiving more care and the number of children involved has not increased at the same level as the number of surgeries? I assure the Deputy this is being pursued rigorously with CHI. It is one of the things I will be raising with the reviewer on Monday. At this stage I want an independent external expert answer to the question the Deputy has raised and the question I have been posing for some time.

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