Scoliosis wait list fury

A FATHER whose daughter has been waiting more than 16 months for scoliosis surgery has hit out at the lengthy wait lists.

Aaron Daly’s 12-year-old daughter Sophia has cerebral palsy and was diagnosed in 2013 with scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine that most commonly occurs in childhood.

He told RTÉ Radio’s Today With Seán O’Rourke Show that her condition caused her lower spine to develop into a 100-degree angle, and her weight plummeted to around 10kg as her internal organs were being crushed.

However, she still had to wait until 2015 to undergo surgery and, while her health did improve, doctors said that the surgery would have been more effective with earlier intervention.

In late 2016, her condition began to deteriorate, and she was told the following April that she would need surgery.

‘At this point we were told four months is the target but realistically you’re kind of looking at the end of the year,’ Mr Daly said. ‘Early intervention is non-existent in the HSE as far as we’re concerned and it’s not good enough.’

Health Minister Simon Harris promised last year that children would not have to wait more than four months for surgery for scoliosis by the end of that year.

A spokeswoman at the Department of Health said that while Mr Harris sympathises with the family and patient ‘it is important to recognise that it is the responsibility of the treating consultant to clinically prioritise patients.’