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A ROW OVER spinal surgery waiting times and delays broke out in the Dáil today as Sinn Féin accused the Government of failing young children who are still waiting on confirmations for life-changing operations.
Sinn Féin has claimed the Government has not included plans to tackle the long-standing issue of spinal surgery waiting lists in Budget 2025. Taoiseach Simon Harris has claimed funding schemes will be announced, as always, in the HSE annual service plans.
Though improvements have been made in waiting times, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald highlighted the case of 13-year-old Darragh Higgins who has been waiting for surgery for five years as his mother now worries his case may soon become inoperable.
The Dáil heard that Darragh, who was born with Spina Bifida, now has a 120 degree spinal curve and has yet to hear of plans for a surgical interventions or receive communication about treatment in the United States.
McDonald also quoted a 14-year-old boy, Tommy Long, during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil chamber today. Tommy had recently addressed a meeting of families impacted by Spina Bifida.
“This child has been through it all, Taoiseach.”
“Tommy said, ‘It’s extremely disappointing to have seen no improved for me or for the hundreds of other children with scoliosis ver the last 10 years.’
She asked for the Taoiseach to outline when Government will give the funding and timelines to families like Tommy’s and Darragh’s.
Responding, the Taoiseach said that it was “disingenuous” of McDonald to claim that no plans for scoliosis waiting lists were included in Budget 2025 and said funding models and delivery schemes would be outlined in the HSE’s service plan for next year
“Any effort to suggest that I’m somehow or other satisfied that children are in pain is obviously not a fair portrayal of any public representative in this house,” the Taoiseach said.
He said he met with the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, the clinical lead of the spinal management unit, consultants and other teams in CHI as well as the Spinal Surgery Taskforce established by the Department of Health.
He also invited McDonald to accompany him on future meetings.
He said there had been additional investments made to help tackle waiting lists, and “very-significant” increase happened in the number of spinal surgeries for children in 2022 and 2023. He added that, so far this year, 300 spinal procedures have taken place.
He added that agreements are being finalised with a hospital in the United States and consultants from that hospital and from London have met with patients at a clinic in Dublin
“I’m assured that families will be fully supported in accessing these pathways, if it is the right option for their children,” Harris said, adding support packages for flights, expenses and travel insurance will be made available.
McDonald, responding, said Darragh’s mother, Ciara, pleaded for his case to be brought to the Taoiseach and said that his “smart aleck, slick responses” to her remarks were insulting to the young boy.
She claimed, if she were Taoiseach, “I would sort that out”. She called on the Taoiseach and Government to take action to help Darragh and families like his.
Harris said that he wasn’t going to take a “moralistic lecture on child protection from the leader of opposition”.
“You stand up and you talk about slick and sound bits – you’ve obviously decided, you know, I’m now living rent-free in your head. That’s fine.”
The Taoiseach said the “reality of the situation” was that he was going to work with Darragh’s family and the team in the HSE to make sure his case, and other cases like his, get access to the care that is needed.
“I won’t have you wrongly represent me or who I am or my values or the work that I do. I will work every day to help every child that needs access.”
He added that he will be meeting with advocacy groups next week, “because I don’t need you as an intermediary”. He assured that every support available will be granted to families who are waiting.
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I just simply ran a cable under the Irish sea to a friend’s in Wales and hooked up to their box with a splitter.
Try a vpn way cheaper
Genius ;)
Lol u live up to ur name cupid!
Simply install AnonymouX and you can change your ip address to a UK one and watch BBC online if you so wish.
Tips and tricks 2015
Just use a proxy/VPN. I use ZenMate from the Chrome Web Store. It’s free and you can change your IP address to one from the UK, US, Germany, Romania or Hong Kong.
Hola is a service that tacks on to your browser and changes you to the US or UK at the touch of a button.
I use hola on the lap top and my iPhone. It’s great for netflix and I’ve never had a problem with it
You just risk someone else looking at dodgy content on your ip address that could land you in trouble. Never heard of Zenmate. Does the same risk apply and does it work on iOS??
You could just not look at ‘dodgy content’. Or if you have to look whatever that is, just do it when you don’t have the vpn turned on and just let Eircom/UPC look at your ‘dodgy content’.
The way Hola works is someone in another country could be looking at all sorts if stuff but yet the cops will knock on your door.
I’ve read my post 3 times now and I still can’t understand how you misunderstood it???
@Darren – re-read Bob’s initial comment, he’s correct in what he’s saying.
Why not just throw a £5 paywall on it for people outside the UK?
RTE could make a buck by doing the same, they’ll probably ruin it though, and get greedy.
They’d actually make a good bit on it, with the positive reaction to the hurling on Sky last year.
I only watch it for the Angelus myself.
Because nobody would pay to watch Fair City…
Fairly Sh!tty :)
And this is why God invented IP proxy services. I can happily watch BBC and US Netflix from the comfort of my sitting room. The world and technology is changing quicker than regulation can keep up!
F*ck the story, isn’t my angel Benedict looking beautiful?
I thought I’d find you letching here…
You can get all the UK channels at filmon.com for free, streaming in real time. Many other country’s channels too, works great in Ireland.
Hola Unblocker is brilliant! I watch BBC, CBS, Hulu with no problems.
+1
Hold works great. Watched the whole world snooker championship with no stoppages
if only there were some way to use a proxy to fool the BBC website into thinking your browser originates in the UK. But as far as I know no such technology exists and we will have to make do with RTE…
No one is saying there’s no way around it now! But obviously it would be far better if you didn’t have to find a back door in the first place.
That said, what on earth does “cross-border access to the content [...but not...] wanting to destroy this principle of territoriality” mean? He didn’t think that might need a little clarification?
Bismarck would be happy
Does anyone care??!!!!
Yes. The hundreds of thousands of us who use Netflix from Ireland, for example.
Yes you pay for a service that shafts you even before you start to watch. European version of netflix is terrible. The American version has way more content. Hence your getting shafted. Get what you can for free. It’s always better when it’s free.
Type stream into Google. Whatever happens after that is up to you
And they wonder why there’s piracy. Take what you can get after all even if your a good law abiding citizen your still going to get shafted all the way to the bank. Thats a fact. So don’t start with the smart comments. Just enjoy life. After all one way or another we’re all getting robbed ripped off and scammed. If you worry you die. If you don’t worry you still die. Enjoy life
Hidninja vpn …problem solved ..
I have iPlayer on my Sky box and I swear, I may have used it once in the past 3 months. You’re not missing too much.
I recently rented a book from the library, The Gym Bible , I was so impressed with it I decided I would buy it online , when I searched for it I discovered that it could be downloaded for free, happy days until it said that content was not available to download outside of America. I did but it in the end online for €20 but if i didnt have to i wouldnt have .
ExPat Shield is brilliant for changing your IP address to a UK one. Works perfectly for BBC or ITV players.
Their blocking UK based vpns now as well.
have your say