Girl in constant pain as ‘urgent’ surgery delayed

THE mother of a teenager awaiting surgery for a spine deformation is considering legal action against the HSE as she claims a proposed screening programme at her daughter’s school never went ahead.

Emma Lacey, 17, was diagnosed with scoliosis last year, but her mother Nuala alleges screening which was meant to take place at her school would have picked it up years earlier and prevented the need for an operation.

“If this condition had been diagnosed at that early stage, we may not now be in the position of firstly having to endure a very severe operation.

“When Emma was in her first year at school I signed a consent form for her to have the screening done. We were told about it but then it never happened. I have asked the HSE in writing why but did not get a reply.”

Emma is now on a waiting list for surgery at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, but was recently informed that due to cutbacks and closure of wards, she would have to wait.

“Her doctor initially said she would have to have the surgery straight away and that it was urgent, but now we have more or less been told other children are worse off than Emma and need to be treated first.”

Although Emma is carrying on as normal for now, she is in constant pain, has been missing school, and is now becoming almost reliant on over-the-counter medications to deal with the pain.

The 17-year-old is one of many young people who have complicated spinal deformities, and who require similar surgery at Our Lady’s Hospital.

Ms Lacey said the hospital seemed to be in crisis.

“We had an out-patient appointment to see our doctor in June but when we got there they said clinic had been cancelled for the month. There were queues everywhere and not that many staff,” she said.

“We later found out that the doctor had a theatre slot once a week and cancelled his clinic to do that.”

The system, she said, reminded her of a third world country.

Fine Gael’s health spokesman Dr James Reilly urged the Government to reverse cutbacks at the children’s hospital.

“Brian Cowen insists children will not be denied urgent surgery but this is just semantics,” he said.

“Suggesting these surgeries are not urgent is disingenuous at best. Indeed, forcing sick children to wait in pain is extremely hard on their parents but can only be construed as cruelty to the children.”