Report raises concerns over scoliosis treatment

A child whose ribs had to be cut back to allow surgeons work on a section of her spine and another young girl who had indigestion because spinal curvature caused her windpipe to bend are among the appalling scenarios outlined by children in a report on waiting times for scoliosis treatment.

The report’s author, Children’s Ombudsman Niall Muldoon, said it raises “huge concerns about the serious and ongoing violations of the rights of children waiting for scoliosis treatment”.

Dr Muldoon said he had two main objectives in publishing the report, Waiting for Scoliosis Treatment: A Children’s Rights Issue. They were: