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

I wish the Minister well in her position. We all get involved in politics because we want to do the right thing. I, too, acknowledge the wonderful staff in the health system, but this is about accountability and responsibility, both of which are lacking within CHI. I sometimes shudder when I listen to the words of CHI, and I will tell the Minister why. Katie Burke, who is now a young woman, has been waiting 14 years, seven months and five days for a hip operation. We were talking about unnecessary hip operations a while ago but this girl has been 14 years, seven months and five days waiting for a procedure. When she started off as a very young girl, the excuses within the children's health system at the time were that she would not be strong enough or that as she had cerebral palsy, she might clot. This went on for years and years until, suddenly, last year, Katie turned 17 and because she is not a child anymore, she is now in the adult section.

The biggest problems for me are not just the mental health issues of that individual but also her family. How can we have faith in a system that basically misleads a child? We have evidence from surgeons in America that they can carry out this operation, so it can be done. However, specialists in Ireland say it cannot be done successfully. That poor girl has been 14 years, seven months and five days waiting. She is still in pain. She and her mother will be outside Leinster House at 12 noon tomorrow. I am reaching out and asking the Minister to meet them and look at the details, which are self-explanatory.

It is frightening that we are talking about scandal after scandal. This is my third term in the House. I feel very privileged to be here. However, between the mother and baby homes, the vaginal mesh issue, the unnecessary hip operations on children and the Grace case - we will not go into the disability or mental health services - nobody seems to be held accountable or responsible.

What is worrying about the case of this poor child is that she has been told she can get the operation in the United States and that she will have an opportunity to walk again, but for more than 14 years, no matter where she went or who she went to, she was told it will not work. In fact, on her first visit to the adult section in Dublin, she was told that if they did operate, she might never walk again. That poor girl is tortured and demented. I am tortured and demented. I will give the Minister all the details of the case. I appeal to her to look at them.

That is only one of the scandals. On the same point about accountability and responsibility, I know of the case of another young girl where there was a mess-up somewhere within the HSE. The poor girl is now six and is in severe pain, but the HSE will not rectify the problem because it is afraid of repercussions as it basically fecked up the first operation. The mother is willing to engage with the HSE and sign a disclosure to say that the issue is gone once the HSE sorts out the child, but it will not even engage.

I pity the Minister in her job. None of us know everything but I want to flag this. I will engage with anybody. Deputy Colm Burke knows me of old. I am very straight talking and fair. The Minister can hear it in my voice. All of us in this Chamber want to do the right thing. However, there is misrepresentation by the senior management and clinicians, who say, “It is my patch, they are my rules and that is it.” I cannot understand, when we see the evidence, including the contradictory evidence from experts elsewhere in the world, how this girl can be left for 14 years, seven months and five days without any hope or encouragement. It is shocking. I appeal to the Minister.

I would certainly look into CHI. We have a system that is top-down and top-heavy in nature. It is like any of us in any job. We are not going to be told the truth by everybody because they are protecting their own patch. I appeal to the Minister. I will tell her straight out that anything I can do to assist her, I will do. I appeal on behalf of this family. In the case of the other poor child, the mother’s heart is broken. I ask the Minister to work with us. As I said, we are all here to do the right thing. The Minister, I and everybody else in this House know that one of the greatest rewards we can get in our job is when somebody says “Thanks for that.” All we want is that thanks. I appeal to the Minister and I will reach out to her again on that.

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