The head of the HSE has issued an apology to the parents of Harvey Morrison Sherratt for what he described as their experience of being “let down by the healthcare system”, reports Breaking News.
The story of the nine-year-old, who suffered from scoliosis and spina bifida, has been widely covered in the media and raised repeatedly in political discussions throughout the summer and again as the Dáil resumed.
His parents, Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt, have said their son spent years on a waiting list for spinal surgery, during which time the curvature in his spine worsened from 75 degrees to 130 degrees, reports Breaking News.
By the time Harvey underwent spinal surgery in December of last year, the curvature had progressed so far that a full correction was no longer possible.
The worsening of his spine led to a twisting of his rib cage around his lungs and heart, severely limiting his ability to breathe, reports Breaking News.
Harvey passed away on July 29th.
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the Health Committee, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said he had reached out to Harvey’s parents and is open to meeting them.
He added: “I’m aware that the minister is also due to meet Gillian and Stephen, and I’ll await the outcome of that to inform any next steps. Notwithstanding any review, I can clearly see from the accounts given by Harvey’s parents that they have a lived experience of him being let down by the healthcare system. That is something I very much regret as the head of the health service, and for which today I do want to apologise to them,” reports Breaking News.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
