A WATERFORD father has described how his 11-year-old daughter is in pain waiting for an MRI scan at Crumlin Children's Hospital - which they've been told she won't have until July 2024.
Young Aoileann Ui Bheaglaoi from An Rinn has an aggressive form of childhood arthritis and had already been on a 23-month waiting list for an initial diagnostic MRI when the appointment the had in November 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Aoileann has Down Syndrome, epilepsy and is non verbal.
Her parents Cait and Padraig have had to watch her in obvious pain with the arthritis which she began treatment for in January 2019.
But they were left speechless having been given a new scan date of July 2024 for Aoileann - a further wait of three years and eight months - due to a huge waiting list for the the diagnostic MRI she needs at Crumlin.
On this morning's Deise Today, Padraig Ui Bheaglaoi said there were up to 200 other families waiting on appointments for an MRI at Crumlin also and said they would take any earlier appointment, at any time of the day or night, if it would quicken up the process.
"We have thought of going overseas to get it done bit it's not realistic in the current climate. We have spoken about about it though as it's what it might have to come to," he told Damien Tiernan.
In the absence of a scan, doctors at Crumlin Children's Hospital have been assessing Aoileann's condition by manipulating her joints manually.
Her parents say they noticed Aoileann having bouts of crying which showed she was obviously in some pain or discomfort. Children with learning disabilities need a general anaesthetic for a successful MRI scan and Crumlin has the only MRI machine manned by an anaesthetist in the country.
A representative of the hospital has said they "sincerely regret" that children and their families are experiencing long waiting times for their MRI appointments and they were making "every effort" to reduce these.
You can listen back to Padraig's interview with Damien Tiernan this morning by clicking below here...
Meanwhile, you can listen back to the full Deise Today from this morning by clicking below here...
