Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I first want to acknowledge the pain and heartbreak that this has brought to so many families and children, particularly children who went through unnecessary and needless surgery. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that those families have gone through. We think of medical professionals as people we can trust and we entrust our children to their hands, yet we see such a failure for so many families.

A protected disclosure to the Department of Health happened in September 2023. If it emerges that unnecessary surgeries continued beyond this point, there are serious questions that need to be answered. Did the surgeries continue, for example, beyond the time that the former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, was informed about what was happening?

The external report outlined that over 150 cases were assessed, 2% of which involved unnecessary surgeries in Crumlin. Incredibly, 60% of the surgeries carried out in Temple Street were not necessary. Almost 80% of the surgeries that happened in Cappagh hospital were not necessary. A draft report was delivered to CHI management in January. The families impacted are still none the wiser. Does the Government not think that transparency and communication are important for these families? These were unnecessary surgeries involving needless pain. Children went through unnecessary recovery periods.

Patients deserve answers and certainty about what is happening. We cannot allow this situation to continue without any accountability. CHI will receive the keys of the new national children's hospital in the coming weeks and months. Are we allowing this to continue without any accountability? It certainly seems, from reviewing the board in terms of its experience, that there is a real lack of medical experience on that board. I urge the Minister take immediate action to ensure that this never happens again.

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