Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I am speaking on behalf of the families whose lives have been turned upside down by the hip dysplasia scandal, particularly those who have sat in my constituency office in Dundalk over the past couple of weeks upset about the care for their little children. How is the Department planning to support those families to get treatment and follow-up care for children who have had surgery for hip dysplasia? These families did everything right. They brought their children to hospital and trusted the system. They believed the care their children received was necessary and in their best interests. Now the families are in limbo.

The recent audit is welcome, necessary and important, but let us be honest: it has not brought certainty and will not bring trust or confidence in the system. Instead, it has brought fresh fear and confusion. More importantly, an audit will not sort out the issue I raise, which is that the families want and deserve financial supports. They want to be compensated or to be facilitated in getting their children treated elsewhere. Parents no longer know whether their child needed the surgery and no longer trust the hospital, the consultants or the system. Many of them are asking the heartbreaking question: was my child operated on needlessly? If that was the case, it was a grave violation and nothing short of a serious assault on that child. Can we as a Government and society seriously expect the families to return to the same hospital for follow-up care, check-ups and X-rays? Can we ask them to place their children back in the care of the system now they believe they could be harmed by that system? It is not tenable or reasonable. As a mother, I would not let them near my child if I thought there was a hint of a suggestion that surgeries had been done that were not necessary.

Many of these families are scraping together whatever money they can find to seek second opinions, mostly going to Northern Ireland, to ensure their child receives safe and trusted care. That situation should not exist in a functioning healthcare system. It is not acceptable these parents are paying out of pocket for something the State should ensure. Potentially, parents are getting loans to do this.

Let us be very clear. This is not the Government's fault but it is absolutely the Government's responsibility. Responsibility means stepping up with supports the families can trust. Sympathy is not enough; we need action. These families need immediate access to independent care pathways, financial support to access second opinions and trauma-informed services. Most of all, they need to know they are not alone in this. They felt abandoned by the hospitals, they feel abandoned by the doctors and they are desperately worried about their children. What happened is deeply serious. The outcome depends on how the State responds. Supporting the families would send a message to every family in the country that we will treat our children with respect and dignity and that we value accountability, and it would show that our healthcare is worthy of trust.

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