Councillor calls for Tánaiste to resign over scoliosis tragedy

Aontú councillor Ellen Troy has called for Tánaiste Simon Harris to resign following the death of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherrat, who waited almost three years for scoliosis surgery.

Harvey, whose spinal curvature worsened dramatically during the long delay, died after his lungs could no longer cope with the condition.

His family say his death could have been avoided if he had received surgery in time.

Cllr Troy described the boy’s death as “heartbreaking and infuriating,” accusing the Tánaiste of breaking his promise to children with scoliosis.

“As a mother, as a human being, I simply cannot imagine the anguish Harvey’s parents and loved ones are going through at the loss of their little boy,” she said.

“Their grief is compounded by the fact that Harvey’s death was not inevitable.

“It could have been avoided had he received the treatment he desperately needed in a timely fashion, treatment Simon Harris promised to all children with the condition.”

In 2017, when Mr Harris was Minister for Health, he pledged that no child would wait longer than four months for a scoliosis operation.

Harvey, however, remained on the waiting list for 33 months before receiving surgery.

To make matters worse, Cllr Troy said the family discovered last year that Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) had removed him from the waiting list without informing them — despite his spinal curvature worsening to 130 degrees.

Last September, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín raised Harvey’s case in the Dáil, questioning why he was taken off the list and why there had been no communication with his family.

He said the Tánaiste promised to arrange a clinical meeting, investigate why children were removed from the list, and meet the family.

“None of those promises have been kept,” Cllr Troy claimed.

“We still have no answers as to why CHI removed Harvey from the list, and Simon Harris has never met with the family.

“This is unforgivable, if not unexpected. Simon Harris is very good at making promises, not so good at keeping them.”

Calling for the Tánaiste to step down, she said: “He is not fit to remain in office.

“At the centre of this tragedy is a beautiful little boy who suffered needlessly for years and a devastated, grief-stricken family.

“They deserve justice and accountability.”