Taoiseach promises 'immediate' solution for autistic boy facing 10-year wait for urgent dental work
Tiernan Power-Murphy, aged 6, is in so much pain he has not been able to go to school and struggles to eat or sleep at times. Picture: Dan Linehan
The Taoiseach has promised a solution will be found "immediately" for an autistic boy in Waterford faced with a 10-year wait for vital dental treatment.
This comes as a senior HSE manager apologised to the family and pledged to find a solution to the delays facing Tiernan Power-Murphy who is in severe pain.
The desperate parents highlighted the public healthcare delay in Waterford in the .
His father Eamon Murphy said on Wednesday: “This is not just about Tiernan, we need to have a pathway for other children as well. He does not deserve the pain that he’s in.”
Mr Murphy said he is relieved to see the promises of action now.
“We had few phone calls to tell us it will be dealt with, and Paul Goff apologised, he said it is not acceptable,” he said of the assistant head of Service-Primary Care for the Dublin and South East region.
While he welcomed progress on his son’s care, he is frustrated this level of public engagement is needed for basic healthcare.
“This needs to be highlighted, and what happens when he needs care again down the line? We’re wrecked from this. It’s important for other families as well, we have to have a system for this,” he said.
In many cases, autistic children need to undergo general anaesthetic for dental care rather than a straightforward appointment.
The family contacted private dentists as well but were either turned down or told about waits of at least six months with no guarantee of a solution.
Their case was raised with the HSE by Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane and Fianna Fáil TD Mary Butler.
Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday, Micheál Martin said: “The HSE, I understand, is engaging with the family on this, and a solution will be found immediately in respect of this specific case, as it should be. I believe the regional executive officer has acted on this."
He said he will discuss the broader dental situation and for children with additional needs with the health minister and HSE chief executive.
Tiernan’s case was raised in the Dáil by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
She said he is just "one of thousands of children being failed by the State".
"A mockery is being made of Sláintecare waiting targets and in the most severe cases, there are more than 7,000 children waiting for more than a year for treatment that they need so badly. There are 1,100 children waiting more than four years.
"These children are on orthodontic lists for jaw disorders and serious teeth problems. "
She added that paediatric dentistry is in real crisis in this country and is not serving children and young people generally, but said the problem is even worse when it comes to a child or a young person with special needs.
Speaking to the on Wednesday health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill pledged to review the situation.
She was not aware of the details of Tiernan’s case, but said: “I will look into that.”
She added: “Over the last two days I’ve had a series of meetings in relation to disabilities, including autism and the access that we can particularly for children to children’s disability services and therapies.”
A HSE spokesman said the wait time for assessment in the south east is currently under six months. Patients assessed as routine after this face a wait of seven years, he said.
Patients needing general anaesthetic can be referred to Cork University Dental Hospital with a waiting time of between 12 and 18 months.
Cancellations can also mean an earlier appointment through the HSE Dental Department, he added.
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