Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I rise to raise a very sensitive issue and one which all Members should be in a position to support, which is cardiac care in Ireland and how children are dealt with. I request that we facilitate a debate in the House on this issue. I had a discussion with the parent of a child who passed away last February. The boy's name was Gavin Coyne and his mother's name is Maria. Gavin suffered from a condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy. His mother has concerns about his treatment in Crumlin children's hospital and in the Mater hospital and also the treatment of her family when they relocated to Newcastle for further treatment. She is not asking for anything for her family now as nothing can be done for Gavin, he having passed away at ten years of age. He leaves behind a grieving family, classmates and friends. However, his mother has questions in relation to how the entirety of care for children with such illnesses is handled in Ireland. I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate in the House on cardiac care for children. I ask that the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, come to the House to speak not just to this issue and case but the general issue of the service that is available for such children. I will write to ask the Minister to meet with the family but in the House it is more appropriate to address the general issue. A young child has died and possibly unnecessarily so. This case leads me to believe that further investigation is needed into how we care for children who suffer from these serious ailments and I make that request of the Leader.