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Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
WHO's treatment of Dr Mike Ryan proves to be a shocking case study
Story of the Week Three months after the Government was formed, the Oireachtas finally got down to full business this week when the membership of the committees (all 28 of them) was selected and they began their work. You got a sense that all the shadowboxing and straw man displays over process since late January have finally subsided and our national parliamentarians can now grapple with the real and pressing issues that touch upon our lives. The dominant matter this week was undoubtedly another growing scandal, over unnecessary hip surgeries carried out on children. Shauna Bowers and Marie O'Halloran reported on Tuesday that the look-back on operations carried out under the auspices of Children's Health Ireland (CHI) is now extending back to 2010. Last July, it was announced that an independent review into hip surgeries in children would be carried out to examine if the developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgery was required in all cases. READ MORE That review is looking at a random, anonymised sample of DDH surgeries between 2021 and 2023 at CHI hospital sites, as well as the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh. Its publication is imminent, but there have already been sharp exchanges on the issue in the Dáil. Taoiseach Micheál Martin repeated the line that we must be patient and wait for the outcome. That did not stop continued pressure from the Opposition, not least Sinn Féin, which has led the charge. Miriam Lord's column gives a flavour of the exchanges. This matter will put the spotlight on Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and could be the first big test of her stewardship of the department. Cormac McQuinn has another interesting take on it this morning , with a report that discloses that former CEO of CHI, Eilish Hardiman, has retained her salary of circa €184,000 in her new role in the agency. Bust Up Minister for Housing James Browne has not had a great few weeks of it. First of all, his preferred candidate as new housing tsar, Brendan McDonagh, withdrew his name after controversy arose about his salary levels. Now this week, the not-quite beleaguered (but not far away) Minister found himself at the wrong end of a row with the Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain. Over the past two years, the Government has allocated €1.5 billion each year to local authorities to buy houses from landlords who are selling up. The arrangement means the tenants can stay in situ and the council becomes the new landlord. The scheme has been popular, especially in Dublin where the city council was one of its biggest users. However, there is uncertainty over its future funding. At a meeting where the impact of the scheme in preventing homelessness was highlighted, councillors agreed that the Lord Mayor write to Browne to seek a meeting on it. Well, what happened next? It was, to quote the great Joe Higgins, like playing handball against a haystack. Three times Blain wrote to the Minister asking for a meeting . Finally, on the third go, she got a one-line reply from an assistant to Mr Browne turning down her request. To add insult to injury, the email addressed her as 'Dear Emma' rather than her formal title as Lord Mayor. Blain then escalated the matter and wrote to the Taoiseach highlighting her unhappiness at the snub, which she said was a 'blanket refusal', compounded by the failure to recognise her status. Soon afterwards, the Minister indicated that his office would set up a meeting with Ms Blain. That's all very well but does any of this affect me? A global forum featuring famous world leaders took place in Ireland last week that almost passed without notice. The difference was that it was the political equivalent of social hurling. For it was comprised of retired leaders, all of whom still have a lot to say. It was the 39th annual plenary meeting of the InterAction Council, an annual gathering of former heads of state and government. It was co-chaired by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and was addressed by 15 former leaders, who tackled some of the world's most urgent geopolitical, technological, economic and humanitarian challenges. In his speech, Ahern appealed to governments across the world to hold on to the principle of global multilateralism. He also criticised the protectionist policies of the US, under the presidency of Donald Trump . 'There is a necessity to try to not lose multilateralism and try to keep the world order, the international institutions that were set after the second World War and have stood us well over so many years,' he said afterwards. 'I don't expect Donald Trump or his administration to listen to me but my plea is, please don't throw out all those institutions which have been of such enormous benefit to the world,' he said. His co-chair was Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria. Other former leaders in attendance included the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko; former Serbian president Boris Tadić; Jean Chrétien (Canada); Peter Medgyessy (Hungary); Jorge Quiroga (Bolivia); Yves Leterme (Belgium); Margaret Jay (United Kingdom); and Essam Sharaf (Egypt). Banana Skin The thing about a routine reshuffle is that they are never routine. When the Social Democrats announced on Thursday that the party was doing a mini-reshuffle of its front bench , it spawned dozens of theories, all screaming 'trouble at mill'. Sinead Gibney had been the party's spokeswoman on foreign affairs but was being moved over to become the spokeswoman on media, arts, culture, Gaeltacht and another half a dozen responsibilities. The Kilkenny-based Senator Patricia Stephenson was becoming the spokeswoman on foreign affairs. There has been tension within the parliamentary party on the status of Eoin Hayes. The Dublin Bay South TD has been suspended from the party after giving conflicting explanations on how he had disposed of shares in Palantir, a US company which has supplied military technology to the Israeli Defense Forces. Hayes has been in Coventry since early December and there are some within the parliamentary party who want him to be brought back into the fold. However, there are a small number of holdouts on the issue, one of whom is understood to be Gibney. When the announcement was made, some people assumed the two things were connected. There were even rumours floating around on Thursday (completely untrue) of rows and people being on the verge of resignation. Not so, insisted the party. The party has a policy of aligning its spokespeople with the Oireachtas committee of which they are a member. It was waiting to see if Stephenson, a former diplomat, could get a seat on the foreign affairs committee. Once she did, she was offered that portfolio. Gibney, a member of the media and culture committee, moved over there (it's an area where she also has extensive experience). Both were happy with the news. Nothing to see here. Still a banana skin though. Especially as the Eoin Hayes question has not yet been settled. Winners and Losers Winner: Who worries about Emmy when we have Oscar Despard, the 22-year-old from Dublin, who captained the Cambridge team to victory in BBC's University Challenge . Indeed, our very own Northern Editor Freya McClements was the last winning Irish captain, with the Magdalen College, Oxford, team that won in 2004. Hold on a minute, you might say. Young Oscar is not a politician. To which we say, not yet. Loser: Dr Mike Ryan . A massive hero for Irish people everywhere, the deputy director of the World Health Organisation has been surprisingly dropped from its executive in a cost-cutting exercise . The removal of US funding has compromised the organisation but the decision to cut out Ryan – a genuine world authority on fighting epidemics and infectious diseases, including Covid-19 , and a fearless advocate of fairness and against injustice – was truly shocking. His spontaneous and angry plea on behalf of the children of Gaza at a routine press conference several weeks ago reflected his strengths, braveness and humanity. ( See video of his comments here ) The Big Read This weekend, Jack Horgan-Jones explores if there is any potential for a combined Opposition now that the speaking rights row has come to an end. There are also unmissable columns from the intrepid duo of Pat Leahy and Miriam Lord. Hear Here Marriage equality: 10 years on, has Ireland's progressive optimism disappeared? Listen | 44:33
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Mother ‘devastated' to be told her young son's hip operation was not necessary after all
A woman whose non-verbal son received hip surgery in a Dublin hospital in 2023 said she was 'devastated' to be told three weeks ago the operation was not necessary. The mother, who does not want to be named, is the latest to speak out in advance of the publication soon of an independent review into hip surgeries in children. In all, 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15-year period have received letters in advance of the publication of the audit on unnecessary surgeries. The review, announced last July, is looking at a random, anonymised sample of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospital sites as well as at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh (NOHC). READ MORE It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between the three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. The mother, from the west of Ireland, said her son, who is now aged six and has special needs, was identified as having one leg that was slightly longer than the other when he was a baby. He was referred to Temple Street hospital in Dublin when he was six months old, where a pelvic X-ray was carried out. Following this, the surgeon told the family the child had DDH and would require monitoring. The mother said she was surprised by this as they had been told by clinicians in their local hospital that there was no problem with his hips. A further X-ray was carried out in January 2023, at which point the mother said: 'We were told the left hip hadn't developed and surgery would be required. The right wasn't as bad, but they were going to do both.' Six months later, the child had surgery on his left hip in the NOHC in June 2023 when he was aged four. The mother said the surgeons 'decided in the theatre the right hip was fine'. The mother attended Temple Street hospital three weeks ago when she asked a different orthopaedic surgeon to review the X-ray taken of her son six months before his operation. 'He said his hips were fine. And I asked if he would have done the surgery, and he said no he would not have,' she said. The woman said a memory that was now 'burned into my brain' came soon after the surgery when her son tried to use the bathroom by himself. 'My child, who is non-verbal, was crawling across the floor to use the toilet because he can't tell us that he needs to use it and he doesn't know what's happened to him,' she said. 'To hear now that it was unnecessary is devastating. Absolutely devastating. We trusted what we were told and why wouldn't you trust it? 'The guilt as a parent is overwhelming. We're supposed to protect our kids. These are real kids, and it [the surgery] has a massive impact.' NOHC was contacted for comment. In a statement on Wednesday evening, CHI said it wrote to 1,757 parents of children and young people who underwent any type of hip surgery for DDH in its hospitals, dating back to 2010. Furthermore, NOHC wrote to 502 parents of patients who underwent DDH surgery in the hospital, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity. 'We recognise the concerns of our patients' families and are committed to expediting the audit process, publishing the findings and implementing any required actions. When the audit is complete, we will prioritise open and transparent communication with our patient families,' the statement said. A spokesman for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she noted the publication of the number of letters sent by CHI and NOHC 'The minister is very conscious of the concern that will be felt by all patients and families affected,' the spokesman said. 'The minister will be in a position to comment further once the audit is published.'
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Over 2,200 families of children who received hip surgeries over 15 year period written to by CHI and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital
A total of 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15 year period have received letters in advance of the publication of an audit on unnecessary surgeries. Last July, it was announced an independent review into hip surgeries in children would be carried out to examine if the developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgery was required in all cases. The review is looking at a random, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospital sites, as well as the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh (NOHC). It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between the three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. The report is expected to be published shortly . READ MORE In a statement on Wednesday evening, CHI said it wrote to 1,757 parents of children and young people who underwent any type of hip surgery for DDH in its hospitals, dating back to 2010. Furthermore, NOHC wrote to 502 parents of patients who underwent DDH surgery in the hospital, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity. [ Miriam Lord: Hip operations uproar leaves Taoiseach in a bind Opens in new window ] CHI said the letters were sent on the age of the children, as children up to the age of 16 years are treated in CHI – the number represents all of the patients who potentially fall within the scope of follow up to skeletal maturity. 'CHI and NOHC will communicate further with families when the clinical audit is complete and any required additional steps will be taken as part of an action plan,' the statement said. 'We recognise the concerns of our patients' families and are committed to expediting the audit process, publishing the findings and implementing any required actions. When the audit is complete, we will prioritise open and transparent communication with our patient families.' A spokesman for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she notes the publication of the number of letters sent by CHI and NOHC 'The Minister is very conscious of the concern that will be felt by all patients and families affected,' the spokesman said 'The audit process is nearing completion and the Minister has been advised that it will be finalised and completed imminently.' He added: 'The Minister will be in a position to comment further once the audit is published.' CHI has come under consistent pressure in recent months, particularly in relation to the provision of orthopaedic services for children. A recent report published by the Health Information and Quality Authority into the use of unlicensed metal springs in spinal procedures on three children in Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin found children were 'not protected from the risk of harm'. A third report, by orthopaedic consultant Selvadurai Nayagam, is also being carried out in relation to adverse surgical outcomes.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Over 2,200 families of children who received hip surgeries over 15 year period written to by CHI
A total of 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15 year period have received letters in advance of the publication of an audit on unnecessary surgeries. Last July, it was announced an independent review into hip surgeries in children would be carried out to examine if the developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgery was required in all cases. The review is looking at a random, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospital sites, as well as the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh (NOHC). It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between the three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. The report is expected to be published shortly . READ MORE In a statement on Wednesday evening, CHI said it wrote to 1,757 parents of children and young people who underwent any type of hip surgery for DDH in its hospitals, dating back to 2010. Furthermore, NOHC wrote to 502 parents of patients who underwent DDH surgery in the hospital, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity. [ Miriam Lord: Hip operations uproar leaves Taoiseach in a bind Opens in new window ] CHI said the letters were sent on the age of the children, as children up to the age of 16 years are treated in CHI – the number represents all of the patients who potentially fall within the scope of follow up to skeletal maturity. 'CHI and NOHC will communicate further with families when the clinical audit is complete and any required additional steps will be taken as part of an action plan,' the statement said. 'We recognise the concerns of our patients' families and are committed to expediting the audit process, publishing the findings and implementing any required actions. When the audit is complete, we will prioritise open and transparent communication with our patient families.' A spokesman for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she notes the publication of the number of letters sent by CHI and NOHC 'The Minister is very conscious of the concern that will be felt by all patients and families affected,' the spokesman said 'The audit process is nearing completion and the Minister has been advised that it will be finalised and completed imminently.' He added: 'The Minister will be in a position to comment further once the audit is published.' CHI has come under consistent pressure in recent months, particularly in relation to the provision of orthopaedic services for children. A recent report published by the Health Information and Quality Authority into the use of unlicensed metal springs in spinal procedures on three children in Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin found children were 'not protected from the risk of harm'. A third report, by orthopaedic consultant Selvadurai Nayagam, is also being carried out in relation to adverse surgical outcomes.
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Families whose children had hip surgeries sent letters in advance of report publication
Families whose children received hip surgeries up to 15 years ago are being sent letters by Children's Health Ireland (CHI) in advance of the publication of a report on the service. Last July, it was announced an independent review into hip surgeries in children would be carried out to examine if the developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgery was required in all cases. The review is looking at a random, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at CHI hospital sites, as well as the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh. It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between the three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. The report is expected to be published shortly. READ MORE However, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has confirmed letters are being sent out to children who received surgery as far back as 2010. The intention of the letter is to provide reassurance in light of the continuing audit process. The letter said the audit is not yet complete but an 'early recommendation from the audit is that all children who have had DDH surgery should receive routine follow-up care until the child's bones have fully grown and developed, in line with current best practice'. 'If your child is not already in a long-term follow up process with your hospital, we will be in contact with you in the coming months to arrange one.' The letter added that it wanted to 'stress that this appointment is part of the normal post-operative review process and is not urgent'. Speaking to reporters at the end of last week, Ms Carroll MacNeill said she has not yet received the report and does not have a timeline for when it will be completed. The Minister said if she was to ask for a specific completion date, it would 'be interfering with their process'. CHI has come under consistent pressure in recent months, particularly in relation to the provision of orthopaedic services for children. A recent report published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into the use of unlicensed metal springs in spinal procedures on three children in Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin found children were 'not protected from the risk of harm'. A third report, by orthopaedic consultant Selvadurai Nayagam, is also being carried out in relation to adverse surgical outcomes. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected Sinn Féin allegations that the Government has been 'ducking, diving and dodging' and had 'stonewalled' parents over the audit into alleged cases of unnecessary hip surgery on children. He told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald that the audit report could be published 'sooner than you think' as Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín claimed that the operation was carried out at a rate of 'five to 10 times more than the population' needed. [ First case of unnecessary child hip surgery confirmed, Mary Lou McDonald tells Dáil Opens in new window ] Ms McDonald said that parents are 'sick with worry' following confirmation that letters had been issued to parents of children who had received hip dysplasia surgery up to 15 years ago. This follows reports that a draft audit report on 561 hip surgeries on children found 79 per cent of operations at the National Orthopaedic Hospital and 60 per cent at Temple Street did not meet the threshold for surgery. Ms McDonald said the Minister for Health said she wanted to provide reassurance and ensure all potential cases are included. 'But the truth is, you have given neither information nor reassurance to parents. In fact, you have been ducking, diving and dodging.' Mr Martin acknowledged there is 'a lot of anxiety and concern' and parents would be worried because 'for a child to go through an operation or surgery is very traumatic'. But, rejecting Ms McDonald's claims, he said: 'We're very conscious of anxiety that can be added to or created by anything we say, or by piecemeal information or by drip feed'. The clinical audit is at a very advanced stage and had received feedback from clinicians. Mr Martin said that nobody was 'ducking and diving or dodging'. He said 'an action plan is currently being drafted in advance of the final audit report.
