The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health will convene today, Thursday 19th June, to examine serious concerns surrounding the treatment of children with scoliosis and hip dysplasia in Ireland.
The meeting, chaired by Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Pádraig Rice, will take place at 9:30am in Committee Room 1 of Leinster House and will include representatives from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), the Department of Health, and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
This comes amid growing scrutiny over recent revelations about surgical practices and treatment standards at CHI facilities, which have led to public outcry and concerns from advocacy groups and families.
Deputy Rice said the committee intends to use the session to uncover how “very serious shortcomings” in the care of children with scoliosis and dysplasia occurred, and what steps are being taken to address the harm caused.
“The recent emergence of information on the treatment of children and surgical practices within CHI have been shocking,” he said. “Our meeting will allow us to get detailed information on how these failures arose and how remedial measures for the children affected are being put in place.”
The Committee is expected to press officials on the impact of the failures on families, the effectiveness of current oversight mechanisms, and what guarantees can be given to ensure patient safety going forward.
“We will seek assurances that all necessary procedures, oversights and safeguards are now in place to ensure that the children affected are being fully looked after, and that there will be no recurrence of the shortcomings,” Deputy Rice added.
The session is part of an ongoing response to the deepening controversy surrounding the management of complex paediatric procedures in Ireland’s public healthcare system.
