Callum (5) ‘in pain’ without treatment
CALL FOR COMMUNITY CARE PLAN SO LITTLE BOY CAN GET PHYSIO
FIVE-year-old Callum Watson from north Wicklow has not received physiotherapy for six weeks due to Covid-19, and he is on a two-year waiting list for an MRI.
Callum, who has Down syndrome, is currently being treated with painkillers for juvenile arthritis, rather than being treated by physiotherapy.
Speaking in the Dáil last Thursday, Deputy Stephen Donnelly raised Callum’s case and called for the targeted resumption of community-based care for urgent patients such as Callum.
He also called for the resources of private hospitals to be used to get diagnostics and other treatment for children like Callum.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said that he will look at the issues raised by this case, and how non-coronavirus care will be provided. Last year, the young boy was referred by Crumlin Children’s Hospital for an MRI to confirm the diagnosis of juvenile arthritis and begin treatment.
‘Callum is in a lot of pain but because he is pre-verbal he can’t tell us when he is in pain or where the pain is,’ said his mother Gillian.
FIVE-YEAR- OLD Callum Watson from north Wicklow is being treated with painkillers because his physiotherapy has been cancelled for the past six weeks due to Covid-19. He is also on a two-year waiting list for an MRI scan.
Speaking in the Dáil last Thursday, Deputy Stephen Donnelly raised Callum’s case. Donnelly has called for the targeted resumption of community-based care, included physiotherapy, for urgent patients such as Callum.
He has also called for the resources of the 19 private hospitals, which the State is currently paying for, to be deployed to get Callum, and children like him, the diagnostics and other treatment they need.
Callum, who has Down Syndrome, is pre-verbal so cannot tell his parents he is pain, but they know he is.
His mother told Deputy Donnelly how last year it was suspected that Callum had juvenile arthritis.
To confirm the diagnosis and begin treatment his medical team in Crumlin Children’s Hospital referred him for an MRI.
But his parents were told it would be a two year wait.
‘Callum is my lovely boy. He started walking in 2019 after so much hard work,’ said Callum’s mum Gillian.
‘Last year it was thought he had juvenile arthritis so he was referred to the rheumatology team in Crumlin. To commence treatment they need an MRI scan, which has to be done under sedation. However, his scan is not scheduled till 2021 or two years after he needs it.
‘Callum is in a lot of pain but because he is pre-verbal he can’t tell when he is in pain or where the pain is.’ She said that the doctors need the MRI done so they can limit damage to his body. ‘Recently his arthritis flared up so he can’t walk much anymore. He seems to have a lot of pain in his hips and his hands which is why he is now on very strong painkillers. Just this week his doctors in Crumlin decided to start treatment without an MRI to try and do what they can.’ He requires physio twice a week, his mum said, but Callum has not had any for over six weeks.
Deputy Donnelly asked Minister for Health Simon Harris why Callum’s care is not happening. ‘If people with no PPE are expected to work in shops dealing with the public all day why is it not possible for trained clinicians with PPE to provide urgent community care?’ said Deputy Donnelly. ‘Given that we have control of the private hospitals and they are largely empty why are we not using this capacity to get children like Callum the scans they need? Callum and his family cannot wait for treatment and nor should they be expected to. It is not right that a child with chronic health issues like Callum is being forced to take strong painkillers because he can’t get the treatment he needs.’ Mr Harris said that the issues raised by Mr Donnelly are ‘very important’ and are linked to how non-coronavirus care is provided.
He said the virus is likely to be with us for a protracted period of time. Mr Harris said that some physiotherapists have volunteered to be redeployed to help other areas of the health service during the crisis including working on contact tracing in coronavirus cases.
He said: ‘We are going to have to now make a call on what is the appropriate level of allocation to each of them to make sure that their services can continue to operate’. Mr Harris said the HSE is finalising plans on that.
On the use of diagnostic facilities in private hospitals Mr Harris said ‘I absolutely want to see these assets fully utilised for the benefit of public patients as well - I mean the taxpayer is now paying for the use of these facilities.
‘We have 19 of them around the country. We have diagnostic equipment.’ He said he would look at the issues raised by Callum’s case.