Appointment found for autistic child forced to wait in pain for tooth extraction
A Co Derry girl with autism who was facing a year-long wait for a dental operation has finally got an appointment, after her father spoke out to highlight the lengthy waiting times.
Columba Mailey, from Greysteel, spoke to Belfast Live earlier this month about the pain his daughter Maisie was being forced to endure as she waited for a tooth extraction - a straightforward procedure without long waiting times for neurotypical children, but something that requires anasthesia for children such as Maisie with complex needs.
Mr Mailey has now said his daughter has been offered an appointment next month. While delighted his daughter will soon have the operation, he said there is "clearly work to be done" to ensure other children aren't forced to wait, in pain, for what should be straightforward services.
Read more: Derry dad hits out as child with autism forced to wait a year for tooth removal
He told Belfast Live earlier this month that he was speaking out to raise awareness around "how crippled our health system is" and to "spur our leadership into action so no other children need suffer".
"Our Daughter Maisie is five-years-old," he said. "Maisie has Autism, is non-verbal and has a statement of educational needs.
"The vast majority of children who go to a dentist and need an extraction could quite possibly get it done that day. However, children with additional needs need to suffer through no fault of their own. This is affecting her school and development. It has also affected her eating and giving children paracetamol and ibuprofen long term is also not good for them."
He said that, after speaking to the media to highlight the problems faced by children like Maisie, his daughter has now been offered an appointment in late November.
"That was good news, you know, that she is going to get sorted and she is not going to be in so much pain."
The Derry dad, who explored private options but struggled to find a provider willing to offer paediatric anasthesia, said changes are required to ensure other children aren't forced to endure long waiting times, in pain.
"You know, it's across a wide range of services," he said. "I think things can improve for children with neurodiverse issues or children with autism or disabilities.
"To me, this just highlighted that there was a massive difference, you know, between a neurotypical child and neurodiverse child and when it came to adequate health care. There was definitely a disparity in it. I've found that across the board in terms of different appointments.
"We've seen as well on Belfast Live the amount of families and children that are in the same boat."
On securing the appointment for next month, he added: "I don't feel any kind of victory Maisie will be seen to. Of course I'm happy that my child is going to get treated but, you know, as a parent and an advocate for children with disabilities or neuro diverse issues there's obviously, clearly a lot of work that has to be done here now."
The problems highlighted by Maisie's case have been raised at Stormont by a number of local MLAs, including the SDLP's Cara Hunter, the independent Claire Sugden, and Sinn Fein's Caoimhe Archibald.
"It will be interesting to see what the response is there. It's an issue every day for hundreds, if not thousands of families across, across the north.
"There still has to be leadership change, be it political or if it's about the Department of Finance and the Department of Health having to come together to find money or find resources."
In a statement to Belfast Live after Maisie's case was raised in the media, SDLP MLA Cara Hunter said: "It’s a sign of the state our health service is in when people can’t access much needed dental care.
“I don’t see how anyone could hear this story and not be affected. A child is in pain and can’t even do basic things like eating. It’s also affecting her attendance at school and no doubt her sleep schedule and I’m sure it is also creating additional challenges for her parents. It’s absolutely shameful that this is allowed to happen."
She added: “This is yet another example of how we are failing children with special educational needs. They must have access to healthcare and other vital services the same as anyone else in our society. Full credit to Maisie’s dad Columba for speaking out on this issue, I’m sure there are other children and families experiencing similar issues and it’s important this is highlighted and addressed."
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