Both Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will meet families and advocacy groups for children with Spina Bifida and scoliosis as the scandal over spinal surgeries continues
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has conceded that the "State has failed the children" affected by Spina Bifida and scoliosis as he pledged that the terms of reference for a spinal surgery review can be widened.
"In spite of you know repeated promises, the scoliosis plan, the three Ombudsman's reports, three reviews which had been completed, umpteen Dáil debates, umpteen media reports on this, still we don't have adequate services for those very vulnerable children," she said."Has the State failed these children? Yes. Yes, the state has failed these children and the State has been failing these children for years.
He confirmed that his Department was first notified that "two serious patient safety incidents had occurred in Temple Street Hospital" in November 2022. Minister Donnelly confirmed he will meet Liverpool-based orthopaedics expert Selvadurai Nayagam next week to discuss the review. Minister Donnelly said that "with the benefit of hindsight" he believes there should have been greater consultation with families and advocacy groups about the terms of reference for the review.
During Leaders Questions in the Dáil, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed that he will meet the affected families and advocacy groups later this week.
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