In a significant final decision as Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly directed the HSE to provide overseas spinal surgery options for children facing extended waiting times in Ireland. The directive, issued on January 21, just days before the government transition, aims to address the backlog of pediatric spinal surgeries.
The order instructs the HSE to extend treatment options in either New York or London to all 54 children who have been waiting more than four months for their procedures. This instruction was formally communicated to HSE Chair Ciaran Devane through a letter written by Donnelly in one of his last official acts before leaving office.
According to The Irish Examiner, the decision represents a dramatic intervention to address lengthy waiting times for critical pediatric spinal surgeries in Ireland. By offering international treatment options, the initiative aims to ensure these children receive their needed surgeries more quickly than might be possible within the domestic healthcare system.
The timing of the directive, coming just two days before the formation of the new government, marks it as one of Donnelly’s final policy decisions in his role as Health Minister, demonstrating a last-minute effort to address a persistent healthcare challenge affecting dozens of young patients and their families.