Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I absolutely do not have an issue with using private care as a short-term means to get public patients faster care. We have used the NTPF as part of our waiting list action plan for the past four years and it has been highly effective in getting public patients care. While we should be building a public health service which does not rely on private care, I have no issue with using private care for anyone who needs care urgently.

This same applies to children’s spinal services. The Deputy will be aware I was in New York and Pittsburgh recently to meet the surgical teams because we are offering care to children abroad. The reality is that the CHI service is not yet big enough. It has not transitioned yet to the dedicated spinal service we want, although there is a lot of work under way. A lot more children have been operated on and received care this year than in previous years. That number will keep increasing. In the meantime, however, we are sending children to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and New York. I am happy to also send children to Pittsburgh and other places. I fully agree that the overriding priority must be for children to get access to high-quality care as quickly as possible.

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