Children suffering from spina bifida have been let down by an under-resourced healthcare system for years. Waiting lists for surgery have improved, but for many they remain stubbornly long.
The HSE’s admission that there are serious concerns over the safety of some surgeries performed on children with the condition at Temple Street children’s hospital will only deepen the anxiety and frustration of those left waiting for vital corrective surgery and their families.
A UK expert is to review the surgeries carried out by one consultant at the hospital after an internal review identified “serious spinal surgical incidents”.
The shocking allegation that unapproved, non-medical objects were implanted into children during surgeries must also be investigated.
On today’s In the News podcast, Irish Times Health Editor Paul Cullen tells Bernice Harrison about a major medical controversy that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called ‘very alarming’.
And he explains why the review of orthopaedic surgery will be extended to the entire country.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon
