A chara, – I have recently referred one of our patients with a combined immunodeficiency to my colleagues in the UK for bone marrow transplant , since we do not have a paediatric transplant specialist here in Ireland to undertake this procedure.
Appointing a paediatric transplant specialist in Dublin would not only spare this family and other families the expense and trouble of travelling abroad for treatment, but would also spare the Irish taxpayer a considerable expense.
The cost to the exchequer through the treatment abroad scheme for paediatric immunodeficiency bone marrow transplant in 2013 was approximately €900,000.
An equivalent amount is likely to be spent this year, and a similar sum will be spent on transplantation of children with metabolic disorders, as was recently highlighted in these pages by my colleague Dr Ellen Crushell (January 9th).
Isn’t it time for common sense to prevail? – Is mise,
Dr RONAN LEAHY,
Consultant in Paediatric
Immunology and Infectious
Diseases,
Our Lady’s Children’s
Hospital,
Crumlin,
Dublin 12.