Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. We have worked on issues before, which he has resolved and for which I thank him. I know we have capacity but we also have capacity and performance issues. Based on this response, I can assure the House that this will not set her back from walking. She will be up and out of bed using a walker within a day or two of surgery. Her muscles will work better due to the improved hip mechanics and so they will seem stronger, not weaker.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund is not on the cards because she has to go to America. It is €300,000 for the operation. They have already set up a GoFundMe but I raise it here because I cannot understand why this poor girl has been listening to various doctors and specialists for 14 years and it seems nobody has the capability in this country to carry out that procedure, yet there is a full institution in the US that has a number of experts who do this daily.

Of course I did not expect an answer because the Minister of State does not have the details of the case, and that is fair enough, but my appeal is based on the fact that Katie is probably not the only person in this country in these circumstances. It may not be just hip operations. I understand the point about the National Treatment Purchase Fund, but is something more not possible? Families work here, pay tax and pay into the health system. Has the Government thought of putting €1 million or €5 million aside every year out of a budget to cover specific cases like this? We have a duty when there are specialist cases. They are Irish citizens. Could we not have a fund whereby we pay for the surgery? I grant that they may have to do a GoFundMe for accommodation and flights, but let them have an option. This poor girl for the past 14 years has had nothing but problems and downfalls and to this day could never get an answer except GoFundMe. That is why I wanted to raise it tonight. I have put it in to the Minister and I would love to discuss that option for people. I thank the Minister of State.

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