Dozens of children requiring spinal surgeries will be offered an opportunity to get their treatment overseas by the Department of Health.

It is understood a number of outsourcing agreements are being finalised and families will have their accommodation and flights organised and paid for by the Department.

The Health Minister flew to the United States in the past week to meet directly with clinicians and inspect  hospitals.

There, Stephen Donnelly met with clinicians from Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York - which is affiliated with the prestigious medical school at Columbia University. 

An agreement has also been brokered with Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. 

The contracts come after what has been described as extensive engagement over many months. 

It is understood Minister Donnelly decided to progress the outsourcing initiatives, in order to  deal with a backlog that escalated during the pandemic.

Since 2020, there has  been a significant increase in referrals onto the waiting list with a 42% increase last year compared to pre-COVID.

Four month wait for surgery

During his time as Minister for Health, Simon Harris promised children with scoliosis would wait no more than four months for surgery. 

Following his election as Taoiseach seven years later, parents of children accused him of making “empty promises” and said many children were still waiting years for their procedures.

Main image: A scoliosis specialist physician looking at a patient's x-ray. Picture by: Ivan Spasic / Alamy Stock Photo