Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. We are constantly standing up here to speak about cherishing all of the children equally. This is a classic case where we are failing to do so as a country. In October, 170 children were on a waiting list for scoliosis surgery. None of the explanations give much solace to a parent such as the one quoted by Senator Seery Kearney. It is really frustrating for us but it is 1 million times worse for a family that has no control over the situation.Such families would do it themselves if they could but they are reliant on the State for this type of surgery. I believe that both the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and the Minister for Health want to do their very best but, as many have outlined, it is beyond time for action. I have heard some of the explanations involving Covid and the cyberattack, but this has been ongoing for years. People have been saying for years that they are waiting. What really hit home for me is that growth is not these children's friend. That is what makes this different, what makes the waiting lists for scoliosis surgery different from those for other types of surgery and what makes this so urgent. I know that €250 million was put into the budget for 2022 to deal with waiting lists, and that was really welcome, but it seems to me that there are a number of problems here. One is the shortage of consultants and nurses, another is that the facilities and infrastructure are not up to scratch and the third is beds.

As for consultants and nurses, there are no orthopaedic surgeons all along the west coast of Ireland. That has to be addressed first. It just shows that there are facilities that could open their doors for this kind of surgery but just cannot at the moment because they are not getting the support. This issue has been before the Joint Committee on Health, and Connor Green spoke eloquently about it and outlined the real, heartbreaking stories of families. I will not repeat those stories here. They have been outlined by previous Senators and I am sure they will be again. I know that the Minister of State hears them because we have all been hearing similar stories for many years.

This debate is really welcome because it is the right thing to do to bring this topic to every single forum we can in order to address it. I commend Senator Boyhan, who I know brings up this issue frequently and who had asked for the debate, and thank the people from all parties who have engaged in this conversation, put down parliamentary questions and Commencement matters and brought the matter to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. I absolutely concur with some of my colleagues that now is the time for action and that we have to see the delivery of services as soon as possible. I completely understand that in every single area there are waiting lists, but I ask the Minister of State to remember the point about why this one is so important, that is, because it is to do with growth and children's development. That is why it is critical.