The mother of a child who received hip surgery and sent 30 emails to CHI (Children’s Health Ireland) over five weeks only received a reply when her solicitor got involved, the Dáil has heard.
Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said the woman’s daughter had surgery at two years of age on her right hip. “After the operation, she was told that she needed surgery on the other hip as well,” and “after five weeks, her daughter had the second operation”.
CHI sent letters to 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15-year period ahead of the publication of an audit into unnecessary incidents of the procedure.
The child’s mother received one of these letter from CHI and was “immediately concerned. She sent 30 emails over a period of five weeks to CHI without one response; only when she got her solicitor involved did she get a response.”
Mr Doherty was speaking as the issue dominated Leaders’ Questions for the third day running.
He said “countless” families are now seeking second opinions and going to America and London. “They’re putting their hands in their own pocket because Government are giving them no answer.”
The Donegal TD said “parents are being kept in the dark” as he raised the issue at Leaders’ Questions following confirmation by CHI and Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital that 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15-year period have received letters in advance of the publication of an audit on unnecessary surgeries.
An independent review into hip surgeries in children began last July to examine if the developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgery was required in all cases.
Mr Doherty said the mother of the two-year-old girl “is now sure that the first hip operation, at best, was premature and the second operation wasn’t needed at all” and she is “frustrated at the lack of answers from CHI and from the Government”.
The Donegal TD said it was “shocking” that the draft audit report, leaked to The Ditch news website, found that 60 per cent of surgeries in one hospital and 80 per cent in the second were unnecessary.
He called on Minister for Education Helen McEntee to “tell me that every single one of those 2,260 anxious families, that every one of their children will have access to an independent clinical assessment” and when they will get that assessment.
Ms McEntee, replying for the Government said the 2,200 letters does not suggest that “every single one of those young people had surgeries where they shouldn’t have had them”. She said “we have to be clear about that”.
The review is taking place to ascertain the facts which is “the most important thing”.
The Minister said “I appreciate we all want to know the facts as quickly as possible, but we don’t have those yet.”
The Minister for Health has not seen the report “and while it’s been very clear that she will have the report in the coming weeks we don’t yet have the absolute facts of the review”.
She told Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan that any support families needed will be provided. She said many of the families who received letters will have had continued engagement with consultants. But for those who have not “we need to make sure that we find that information as quickly as possible”.
Mr O’Callaghan said a lot of recommendations from the draft audit report were being implemented but information was not being made available.
“This is causing huge distress for families who are desperate for information,” he said, calling for the Minister to outline the recommendations being implemented.
Ms McEntee said, however, in terms of a concrete set of recommendations, it is simply not the case that the Minister has them and is working on them and won’t tell anybody. The report has not been finalised and presented to the Minister, but once it has been, the Minister will, first and foremost, engage with families.”
