Fewer than five Irish scoliosis patients sought treatment abroad

Irish Examiner Health Correspondent Niamh Griffin reported recently on an Irish teenager who had surgery at Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in Apulia, Italy, under the Treatment Abroad Scheme. 

Fewer than five people applied to the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) for help with scoliosis surgery last year, with patients now calling for greater awareness and a streamlined process.

It follows Kerry teenager Camesha Leen having successful surgery at an Italian hospital founded by Padre Pio supported by funding from the scheme.

The scheme is available across Europe and is run in Ireland by the HSE. It funds treatment which is not available here or which has a longer than normal waiting time.

Funding is available for public healthcare facilities in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK.

Claire Cahill, co-founder of the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, said the scheme can be “a lifeline for scoliosis patients, providing access to consultant-led care in leading EU facilities with medical costs covered”.

However she said the scheme is underutilised by their members, citing “significant barriers”.

One issue is the need to have a referral from a public consultant. She said: 

Lengthy waits for these initial appointments often prevent patients from accessing this vital option, leaving them in pain and delaying essential treatment.

She questioned also why “TAS is rarely offered as an option, despite years of delays in care”.

“Greater awareness and a streamlined process are urgently needed to ensure more patients can benefit from this critical pathway to timely treatment,” she said.

Ms Cahill said her group and others would be happy to meet with the TAS office.

The HSE was unable to provide a precise number “due to the number being so low”.

This is because of GDPR and patient confidentiality, Catherine Donohoe, head of service, said.

It is common practice in the HSE when numbers are below five not to release the specific number.

“There are specific criteria an application for funding must meet in order for funding to be approved,” she said.

Information is shared by them with consultants in presentations, letters issued through hospital management, and media work.

She described these interactions as “considerable and constructive” so far.

While she said this is the most appropriate way to manage this due to the requirements of the EU scheme, she is open to other approaches.

“The TAS office is happy to engage with consultants, patients, or patient representative bodies at any time, including out of hours in consideration of clinical commitments and patients’ personal and work commitments, in order to provide information and guidance on the scheme,” Ms Donohoe said.

Meanwhile, the HSE’s service plan for this year, published on Tuesday, commits additional funding to this scheme and also for Cross Border Directive and Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare schemes.

Camesha Leen’s mother Violet previously told the 'Irish Examiner' they were “very blessed”. Their access would not have been possible, she explained, without funding.

“My daughter is slowly recovering. And we are eternally grateful to the minister for health here in Ireland, to the doctors in San Giovanni, and to St Padre Pio for his help,” she said.