Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will meet Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) surgeons this week to review how scoliosis waiting lists are managed, she told reporters on Sunday.
The Fine Gael Minister said a “cultural problem” exists at CHI. She added that a “substantial body of work” would have to be done to ensure the lists are “controlled centrally, that surgeons are not dominating how and when people are getting surgeries [and] that there is equal access of care for all patients”.
“I am concerned, both in terms of how lists are managed and the fact that there have been substantial additional resources – close to €20 million," she said. “[There have been] additional posts, an additional theatre, an additional MRI machine and yet I don’t see a commensurate jump in the number of surgeries happening and how they’re happening."
Ms Carroll MacNeill added that she had asked for a timeline of Harvey Morrison Sherratt’s care. Harvey, who was non-verbal, was born with complex health conditions including spina bifida and scoliosis.
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In 2024, his name disappeared from a (CHI) active spinal surgery waiting list. No specific reason has yet been given to the family as to how this happened. Harvey died on July 29th, aged nine, after taking a sudden turn.
“I haven’t received that formally from the HSE,” the Minister said of the timeline she requested. “But I can assure you that I will be looking closely at the gaps that may or may not be there, where they are, the reasons for them.
“And crucially, [asking] ‘are there any implications for any other children?’. So, that is something I would be looking at very carefully.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris has faced criticism for his handling of scoliosis waiting lists while he was Minister for Health, having promised in 2017 that no child would wait longer than four months.
Opposition politicians have joined Harvey’s parents in calling for the Fine Gael leader’s resignation, further criticising Mr Harris for failing to meet Harvey’s mother and father.
Asked whether her party leader’s handling of the issue would have political repercussions, she did not respond directly. Ms Carroll MacNeill She said she was “focused on actually just making sure that things get done”.
I have quite a lot of work to do this week alone - but every week, frankly - to make sure that these lists are managed in a completely different way."
