Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)

I am sure none of us would ever have envisaged or expected a motion like this being moved in the House. How do you explain to the parents, guardians and families the 147 cases of unnecessary hip surgeries carried out in the period from 2021 to 2023 in three institutions under the care of CHI? Hip operations were carried out on children as young as two and a half years old and there is a real possibility that hundreds more cases during the preceding decade may be discovered. The facts of the matter are of great concern to parents and guardians and to many children who are awaiting future hip surgery. There was no disclosure of concerns from the previous Minister for Health although he had been made aware of these serious allegations as far back as May 2024.

I recently had a visit from the father of one of the children who had hip surgery and who had received one of the generic letters from CHI stating that his child should receive follow-up care until her bones had fully grown and developed, contrary to what he was told after a first consultation in 2022, which was that she would be okay after a year. He went on to describe the impact this surgery had on his daughter. He spoke about having to leave his child of two and half years screaming and crying while he tried to hold back his own tears as he made his way down the corridor and about the days of watching her as she could not walk for ages. He then said something very poignant. He said that he trusted the experts, the surgeons and the social contract to look after his child's wellbeing but that they had been failed in all three categories.

Will the Minister commit to providing certainty to all parents of children who have had orthopaedic surgery at CHI? Can she guarantee that this will never be allowed to happen again? We are calling for a full investigation and comprehensive forensic review to be carried out and for any findings to be acted upon. Anyone found responsible for gross negligence and malpractice must be dealt with using the full rigours of the State. A full plan must be put in place to assist and help all families affected by this abject failure to protect their children. I will quote one of the mothers, who referred to:

the absolute scandal of huge sums of money being used on unnecessary hip operations, while children with scoliosis are left without their much needed lifesaving operations, there’s something very wrong with the system

I ask the Minister to support the motion.

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