Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I also thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to take this debate. My Commencement Matter does not come under his remit. I assume he is attending in the absence of the Minister for Health and I thank him for doing so.

I tabled this matter today at the request of the parents of a family who are very concerned for their son who requires spinal deformity surgery and awaits a call from Crumlin hospital for same. He is a young teenager who has attended Crumlin hospital for some time and I shall outline a brief history of his situation. He suffers from scoliosis and was advised by his consultant that he required surgery. He was placed on a list for surgery and was advised that he would be called for same in the summer of 2013. His parents heard nothing more about it so the surgery never took place. They telephoned the hospital and were given a follow-up consultation where they were advised that their son would be called for surgery while still in sixth class but definitely before he would go into first year in secondary school.

He received an appointment for June 2014. His parents are very concerned that the older he gets the harder it will be to rectify the problem. They were delighted to learn he would eventually have the surgery. However, one week before his surgery was due to take place, his parents received a letter from Crumlin hospital informing them that the surgery was cancelled. Subsequently, they received a telephone call from the hospital telling them that because they did not keep the appointment they would be put back on a list and their son would have to wait until January 2015. At the moment they still await a date for the surgery. His mother has advised me that they have had several appointments cancelled by the hospital and always at very short notice which they feel is grossly unfair.

I shall give the Minister a little history about the family because it is important for people to know. The family members have suffered a lot of personal tragedies in their lives. They have previously lost their young son to cancer who was buried a day before his 13th birthday. Therefore, one can understand the worry and concern that these parents have about the well-being of their children, particularly this young boy who awaits surgery. During the time their other son battled cancer the family were out of their home for six months. That meant their children had to be moved out of their regular school and moved to another school for convenience. There has been huge upheaval in this family's life and now the parents are stressed and worried about their next son.

As this matter indicates, another factor is at issue here. I contacted Crumlin hospital to see what the situation was. On that occasion I was more or less abruptly told that there are 200 children on the waiting list for spinal deformity surgery and there were inadequate services. I appreciate that the Minister for Health and his predecessor had very little money, or no money when they took up office, to target these areas and waiting lists. As the economy recovers, it is important that these children should be helped. I also believe that the waiting list for spinal deformity surgery, and other surgeries for children, should be targeted and extra funding provided. I await with interest to hear the reply by the Minister of State.