Mattie McGrath calls for external audit of paediatric pelvic surgeries
Mattie McGrath criticised the handling of pelvic osteotomy procedures for children with developmental hip dysplasia and demanded a fully independent external medical audit. He called for auditors to be brought in from outside the country and said families must be given full transparency, not sanitised summaries.
He said the findings raise deeply troubling concerns that some children may have undergone invasive pelvic osteotomy unnecessarily or without proper clinical justification, risking lifelong consequences for vulnerable young patients and eroding public confidence in paediatric care.
He welcomed the commissioning of an independent external medical audit but insisted it must be truly independent, calling specifically for two independents from outside the country to ensure impartial, patient-focused scrutiny.
He argued that the lack of clear national guidelines or oversight around indicators for complex orthopaedic interventions like pelvic osteotomy represents a systemic governance failure and pointed to fundamental failures within the HSE.
He said families deserve the full truth and protection for whistleblowers, warning that anything less than a thorough independent audit would be an insult to affected children. He also referenced an apology this evening to the Minister of Justice and spoke with personal distress, invoking his late brother who was a paediatrician.
Key allegations
He said the findings raise deeply troubling concerns that some children may have undergone invasive pelvic osteotomy unnecessarily or without proper clinical justification, risking lifelong consequences for vulnerable young patients and eroding public confidence in paediatric care.
Demand for independent external audit
He welcomed the commissioning of an independent external medical audit but insisted it must be truly independent, calling specifically for two independents from outside the country to ensure impartial, patient-focused scrutiny.
Governance failures and HSE responsibility
He argued that the lack of clear national guidelines or oversight around indicators for complex orthopaedic interventions like pelvic osteotomy represents a systemic governance failure and pointed to fundamental failures within the HSE.
Families, whistleblowers and consequences
He said families deserve the full truth and protection for whistleblowers, warning that anything less than a thorough independent audit would be an insult to affected children. He also referenced an apology this evening to the Minister of Justice and spoke with personal distress, invoking his late brother who was a paediatrician.
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Transcript
The findings surrounding the use of pelvic osteotomy in children with developmental hip dysplasia raised deeply troubling concerns, not just for families directly affected, but for public confidence in paediatric care in this country. We are talking about children, vulnerable young patients whose parents entrusted the health system to do the right by them. Yet serious questions now hang over whether some of these children underwent invasive surgery unnecessarily or without proper clinical justification. This is a frightening prospect and it demands a full transparency, accountability and urgency in response. I welcome the commissioning of an independent external medical audit, but I believe that we have to go outside of the country, not in Ireland, outside of the country to get two independents. Let me be very clear, families deserve to know the full truth, not to sanitise summaries or indeed bureaucratic push-offs. The audit must be thorough, independent in the truest sense and patient-focused. Anything less would be an insult to those children who may now be living with lifelong consequences. Furthermore, lack of clear national guidelines or oversight around indicators for complex orthopaedic interventions like pelvic osteotomy is not acceptable. This is not just a clinical matter. It is a systemic governance failure that must be addressed by the HSE, the pattern of health and the leaders' house. We need to listen to families, protect whistleblowers and support them even, and ensure that no child is ever again subjected to any procedure that may not be necessary. And we have to have changes, no point to come in here, and we had an apology this evening, and a very profound one for the Minister of Justice. Look, this is clearly unacceptable. It is scary. My late brother was a paediatrician of some way now, and I can't imagine what he would think of what is happening today. It is just not acceptable. And GHI came from the HSE, giving it back to the HSE now, the fundamental failure is there. We need true independence. Thank you. You will learn now. Thank you. I can't wait. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.