Parents of child who died after waiting years for scoliosis surgery call on Simon Harris to resign

The Tánaiste has said he sought additional clinical consultations in the case of a nine-year-old boy who died two weeks ago and whose parents have called for him to resign.

Harvey Morrison Sherratt died at the end of July. He had received spinal surgery for scoliosis last December, by which point his spine had reached a curvature of 130 degrees.

He had waited for years for surgery and became a focus of media and political campaigns which focused on a pledge in 2017 by then-health minister Simon Harris that no child will be waiting longer than four months for their scoliosis surgery in Ireland.

In the wake of Harvey’s death, his parents Gillian and Stephen have called for Mr Harris to resign, with Gillian posting on X that “delays and the absolute mismanagement of scoliosis and spina bifida care mean that Harvey was left to deteriorate”.

Asked by the Irish Examiner on Monday if he felt either he or the State had failed Harvey, Mr Harris said when the boy’s case was raised with him in the Dáil last September, he had contacted the Department of Health and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI).

“Firstly, I want to extend, in a very sincere way, my deepest sympathies to the family of Harvey and I don’t wish to say anything to cut across their grief.

When this issue was brought to my attention during my time as taoiseach, I remember being very concerned about making sure that proper clinical interventions and consultations were made available. 

“And when Harvey’s case was brought to my attention, I immediately contacted the Department of Health and CHI and sought additional clinical consultations, which I believe did take place. I was always of the view that it was very important that any medical interventions were, of course, clinician-led.”

Mr Harris said he had asked last year that “clinical advice was sought and that the appropriate clinical care was given” to Harvey.

Separately, Mr Harris said Fine Gael was seeking further information from a county councillor accused of charging foreign nurses illegal agency fees. A story published by TheJournal.ie alleged South Dublin councillor Baby Pereppadan co-owns an agency which had charged nurses the fees. A statement from Fine Gael last week said Mr Pereppadan was seeking legal advice about the article, a position Mr Harris reiterated on Monday.

“I understand that the councillors dispute some of that and are currently seeking legal advice, and my party headquarters has sought more information from them in relation to that.”