Editorial: Children languishing on waiting lists damning indictment of our health system
Carolann Walsh and her daughter Hannah.
The story of a five-year-old girl diagnosed with scoliosis having to wait between 8 to 12 months for an MRI scan at University Hospital Waterford - before her future health needs can even be considered - is another case of concern, highlighting again how children are being unacceptably let down by our health system.
It is also, her mother Carolann Walsh fears, a case of history repeating itself. Carolann (32) was diagnosed with the same condition as a small child.
"I am terrified for her future," said Carolann of her daughter Hannah. "I’ve lived this. I know what untreated scoliosis can do... How can it be that nothing has changed after all these years?"
In 2008, Carolann's experience with accessing proper care for scoliosis made national headlines when her operation for spinal fusion was cancelled due to cutbacks.
After being highlighted in the media, Carolann finally received her surgery in September 2009, after an 18-month-long wait.
"It took media attention and a huge public outcry before I finally got my surgery date. That was September 2009, and it changed my life. But now, 16 years later, I’m fighting the exact same fight — this time for my own child,” she said.
Their story is not unique, and is just another example of countless cases of children in need of essential surgeries being left to languish on waiting lists, their conditions and quality of life deteriorating with each passing day.
The case of Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who died on July 29, provoked a national outcry. Harvey, aged 9, suffered from spina bifida and scoliosis and had been subject to significant delays in accessing urgent scoliosis surgery. He eventually underwent surgery at the end of last year.
Harvey's parents have brought national attention to children enduring horrific waiting times for healthcare. Ironically, in 2017, Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was then Minister for Health, pledged that no child would wait more than four months for scoliosis surgery by the end of that year.
By the time Harvey Morrison Sherrat had his surgery in late 2024, his spinal curve had reached the point where it could not be fully corrected. He had spent years on a waiting list. His spinal curve caused his rib cage to twist around his lungs and heart, severely restricting his breathing.
Harvey was failed by our health system. Countless more children and their parents remain in the shadows, enduring unconscionable delays. How many more Harveys are out there? How many more children are being treated like numbers, their very real-life needs languishing for indeterminate periods of time on waiting lists?
Children like five-year-old Hannah, who should have a bright and promising future ahead of her. Surgery for scoliosis when performed within an appropriate time-frame can be life-changing, one of the magnificent feats of modern medicine.
It is reported that the Tánaiste has sought, through the Minister for Health, a full multidisciplinary report on the timeline of care provided to Harvey. However, this must go much further. The promise Tánaiste Harris made back in 2017 must be actioned.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: "Simon and the Government have placed huge focus on how we support young children with scoliosis. We always want to do more. We always want to make more progress. But additional resources, additional clinical support and operating theatres have all been made available to focus in on supporting those children. Those who are waiting for care have seen a reduction in how long they’re waiting."
A reduction is not good enough. Healthcare, in a timely fashion, when it is required, must be a given, for all our children.
