Springs used on children were not ordered through hospital procurement process, says CEO

Chief Executive of Children’s Health Ireland Eilish Hardiman; Paula Kelly; CHI clinical director Ike Okafor at Leinster House, where they appeared before the Oireachtas health committee. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

The chief executive of Children’s Health Ireland has said unauthorised medical devices implanted in three children were not ordered through the hospital’s usual procurement process.

Eilish Hardiman answered questions on Thursday from members of the Oireachtas health committee around serious safety concerns with complex spinal surgery for children with spina bifida at Temple Street Children's Hospital, which is part of the CHI group. This included queries around unauthorised devices, now known to be springs, implanted in three children.