A FIANNA Fáil TD has condemned the number of children on health waiting lists as being a "damning indictment of this government's failures".
Niall Collins, a Fianna Fáil TD from Limerick, was speaking about a recent report seen by RTÉ which revealed that over 200,000 children are on waiting lists to be seen by a health care professional.
Of the almost 215,000 Irish children on the list, more than one in four children are waiting for over a year to be seen, and some wait for over two years.
Over 7,000 children are on mental health waiting lists to see a psychologist.
Fianna Fáil Health Spokesperson Stephen Donnelly had previously described the report as "appalling", sentiments which have now been echoed by Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins.
The Limerick County Representative spoke to The Limerick Leader about the "shocking" report which has left parents contacting him regarding the "inability to get care for their children".
"This includes very sick children in need of urgent surgery," Mr Collins said.
"It includes special needs children in urgent need of therapeutic supports like speech and language and occupational therapy. It includes children waiting for psychology, for diagnostic scans, and much more."
“We wanted to get a full picture of how bad things have got, and the results are shocking. 215,000 children are waiting. Many are in pain, many are deteriorating while they wait. This is a damning indictment of this government’s failures in healthcare. It is a dark stain on our country that this is happening."
Mr Collins went on to indicate that the problem may even be worse than it appears, referencing differences in reporting at different hospitals, with many failing to report seperate lists for different age groups-- and the figure of 215,000 not including any children on waiting lists for oral health treatment.
Mr Collins also referenced the controversial new National Children's Hospital, which was approved at an estimated cost of €983 million for building and development but which could now cost €2 billion.
“A billion euro overspend on a children’s hospital that only adds a handful of extra beds for children is about the extent of the government’s work," Mr Collins argued.
"These children and their families need solutions, and they need them now,”
