Parent 'absolutely devastated' after being told hip surgery carried out on their child was unnecessary

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told Dáil of parent who received confirmation from a surgeon that operation performed on their three-year-old child was not needed

Mary Lou McDonald: 'Every single day, our offices receive communication from parents in distress. They are left asking themselves the gut-wrenching questions: was my child one of those operated on unnecessarily, and what are the consequences of this for my child?'

The parent of a three-year-old has been informed unnecessary hip surgery was carried out on the child, the Dáil has heard.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has outlined the case of one family who have received clinical confirmation their child was operated on when it was not required.

She was raising an audit that had been carried out of thousands of children who could have undergone painful hip surgeries unnecessarily. However, this review has yet to be received by the Government.

Pressing the Taoiseach on how many children could be impacted and how far the issue dates back, Ms McDonald said: "Every single day, our offices receive communication from parents in distress. They are left asking themselves the gut-wrenching questions: was my child one of those operated on unnecessarily, and what are the consequences of this for my child?

She told the Dáil: "In the case of one parent who has been in touch, their child was only three when they had surgery. This is the first parent to tell me that they have now received clinical confirmation that their child did not need the operation performed on them at a CHI hospital. 

This parent has now been told by a surgeon, having reviewed the scans from three years ago, that their child's hips were fine. The surgeon says that they would not have performed the surgery.

Ms McDonald said the parent had been left "absolutely devastated" and described it as a "horror film".

"She asks why her child was diagnosed with a condition they did not have and why her child was put through the trauma of surgery if it was not needed. She just keeps asking herself why."

Ms McDonald added the party had received confirmation from another parent who received a letter whose child had the surgery in 2010.

"That is 15 years ago. The child is now a 20-year-old adult. Does this scandal, this issue, go back that far?"

Responding, Micheál Martin told the Dáil the the final draft or the completion of the audit had yet to be submitted.

He acknowledged the trauma both children and their families experience when going through any surgery.

"If it emerges children went through surgery that was not required in the first instance, that is not only very traumatic in itself, but it is a scandal in itself. It is important we await the completion of the audit and the presentation of it to the minister," he said.