Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Some days ago I heard that Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin has communicated to the family of a young woman with Down's syndrome aged 15 that her appointment for an MRI would not take place until 2029. I did not think it was a joke because one would not joke about something so serious. I thought it must be evidence of a computer glitch or a clerical error. Like many people, I was astonished to discover that this is what happened in deadly earnest. I am sure that many people are aware of this case as raised by Carmel Sheehan in County Kildare about her daughter, Kerri, who is 15 years of age and suffers from juvenile arthritis, which afflicts many people who have Down's syndrome. Kerri is taking the drug Humira to manage the pain of her condition, a drug which has a range of unpleasant and dangerous side effects. This makes a regular MRI necessary in order to monitor the effects of the drug.

I believe that six to nine months would be the intended gap between MRI scans. In January it was communicated to the family that the next MRI would be later this year. We know what has happened with Covid-19 since, and we know the pressure on the system but it is astonishing that this would be allowed to go through the system and that such a message would be communicated to a family. Kerri's mother confirmed that she had originally asked for the date and was told it would be about nine months. She could not believe that and rang the MRI section and they repeated it.

Figures last year show there were 165,000 people on waiting lists for MRI, ultrasound and CT scans. I am aware there are huge problems in the system but this cannot be allowed to stand. I ask the Leader how on earth can we tolerate situations like this and how could people be told, with a straight face, that they must wait nine years for an MRI scan, let alone a child with Down's syndrome? We have a serious problem here and the Minister, who spoke many times about waiting lists when in opposition, needs to address it urgently.