You can have a medical appointment for your child in 2 1/2 years. OK?
NO. NOT OK.
However, that’s what a Mayo mother was told when seeking an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) appointment for her autistic child.
Over 3,000 people in County Mayo alone – 878 children and 2158 adults – are awaiting Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) appointments. This was revealed to me from a parliamentary question that I submitted after speaking with a parent who was told her child would have to wait two and a half years for an appointment.
Delays in ENT treatments can lead to permanent and irreversible damage done to patients as well as the ongoing suffering. Many patients in need of ENT treatment can have a range of other physical and intellectual disabilities.
The visiting consultant to Mayo University Hospital holds a clinic one day a week. That is clearly not adequate to meet the needs of the county.
Only last week, more cases of children in the West who were failed by the audiology testing services were revealed. In many of these cases earlier diagnosis and swift treatment could potentially have reduced any harm caused by systemic failures. The lack of urgency to clear the waiting list for 2019 shows that little has changed in terms of Government priorities.
Minister Harris has told me that he plans to publish the joint Department of Health, HSE, NTPF Scheduled Care Access Plan 2019 shortly. I urge him to make that a priority and to ensure that adequate funding and resources are provided to reduce and clear these waiting lists.
