Ireland’s health service must ‘futureproof’ against an oncoming paediatric surgeon shortage, a surgeon has warned. 

The Working Group for the General Paediatric Surgery Model of Care is calling for a new model of care to increase the number of children’s surgeons available. 

A report has warned that while 21 provide general paediatric surgery in the country, 18 others are struggling to appoint them. 

Working Group Chairperson Dr Ken Mealy explained that ‘general paediatric surgery’ is not "complex surgery”. 

“We’re talking about the common surgical conditions of childhood,” he told The Pat Kenny Show. 

These surgeries include hernias, appendicitis and soft tissue trauma. 

Paediatric surgery

Dr Mealy said in the past, these surgeries were carried out by general surgeons at regional hospitals “who would have certain skills”. 

Now, in the past decade, general surgeons’ specialities have become more and more specific – with paediatrics taking the back seat. 

“We have a situation where we struggle to get many of these operations carried out satisfactorily in the small hospitals around the country,” he said. 

“Unless we address this, more and more children will need to be referred to the paediatric hospitals and that’s something we want to avoid. 

“Sláintecare principles are that most patients, including children, should be treated as close to home as possible.” 

'Nonsensical'

Dr Mealy said any parents would know how stressful it would be to bring their child to the likes of Temple Street for a general surgery. 

“To travel from regional areas to Dublin for an operation that may take 45 minutes is nonsensical in many ways. 

“If you had an operation, you don’t want a three, four-hour journey home.” 

The Working Group report recommends a model of care that designates both regional and local paediatric surgical facilities. 

Temple Street Children's University Hospital Sign

Dr Mealy said this model would address the “lack of desire and lack of training” developing in paediatric surgery. 

He said while there are just enough surgeons to keep the service going for now, a more severe shortage is on the horizon. 

“If we know somebody is going to retire in three years, the question is who is going to replace them,” he said. 

“It often takes quite a number of years to replace consultants in the health service – it's future-proofing the service.” 

Under the recommended model of care, each regional hospital in Ireland would have a lead anaesthesiologist who has a subspecialty interest in paediatric anaesthesia.