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Re: HSE seeks UK expert to carry out review of Paediatric Services, HealthSupplement, October 4th
I read with interest once again that the HSE is seeking a UK expert to carry out a review of paediatrics.
In the above-mentioned report, there is, however, one issue that, in my opinion, needs clarification.
Martin Wall states that the future location of specialist services for children, particularly surgery, has been a hugely contentious issue for around a decade. This is correct.
He reports that the Comhairle recommended the concentration of a small number of paediatric and neonatal surgical operations in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. These procedures are carried out by paediatric general surgeons.
He also reports that the Comhairle recommended that all three paediatric hospitals would continue to provide non-specialist paediatric surgery and less complex urological surgery.
With the greatest respect, to infer that only paediatric general surgery is specialist shows an ignorance of the practice of surgery in children.
In the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street, tertiary specialist paediatric surgery in ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, facio-maxillary surgery and urology, including renal transplantation, are carried out.
The surgeons providing all these services for children are fully trained specialist paediatric surgeons in their own fields, and to suggest their activities are of a non- specialist nature in paediatric surgical care is incomprehensible.
The contentious issue of centralisation of paediatric surgical services only arises with a very small number of procedures within the speciality of paediatric general surgery.
It is essential that people understand this and not be misguided by the use of the catch phrase of "paediatric surgery" as if it included all the specialities of surgery involved in paediatric care.
Frank McManus, FRCSI, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, The Children's University Hospital, The Mater Misericordia University Hospital, Dublin
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