Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

We are all thankful to the whistleblower. The report that 80% of surgeries at Cappagh and 60% at Temple Street were not necessary should be shocking but unfortunately it is not. The Minister spoke about toxic behaviours in CHI. We have a history of issues in our health service, such as Michael Neary, Michael Shine, symphysiotomy and much more. It is a requirement that we deal with governance and accountability and also have a system that is fit for purpose. This needs to be done as soon as possible. Arguments will be made that a lot of these pieces of work could have been done before now, but we are where we are. We also need to examine the care of children and parents who have been through hell.

I want to talk about a constituent of mine who has three children, two of whom have been operated on while the third is awaiting surgery. The children are aged five years, three years and 18 months. She has secured a review by a consultant in the North. The cost of this for the three children will be in excess of €700. She cannot afford that. The appointment is on 10 June, but she will be like many others. Bernard Gloster spoke on the radio on Sunday, saying that those who wanted a third party review could get one and it would be paid for by the HSE. What mechanism will deliver on that? It is a requirement, as it is only right that the State pay. This is a mother who is not entirely sure whether her third child needs the operation or whether her two older daughters needed the operations they had.

Another mother living in mid-Louth spoke to me about her child who was aged three when she was operated on in 2023. She now looks at the scars on her daughter and cries because she is worried that they are the marks of needless suffering. Hers was one of the families that received a letter earlier in the year telling her that her daughter was one of the children reviewed in the audit. She is now struggling to come to terms with what has happened and what is going to happen. She has asked for a mechanism for getting her daughter's medical records. She has also spoken about the fact that she has not found the helpline entirely helpful. She does not blame the people at the other end; they just do not have the information. She spoke on Newstalk about this. We need to provide this information. She does not know what percentage her daughter falls into. We need that information and follow-up.

I have mentioned one of my constituents who, luckily enough, went for a second opinion. His daughter is now doing gymnastics, something that might not have been the case. We need such cases to be included in a review-type process also.

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