More than 1,000 people have turned out for a march in Dublin in memory of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who had spina bifida and scoliosis and died last month.
Harvey’s parents Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt said he waited years for a spinal operation, and only got one last November when the curve in his spine had reached 130 degrees.
Last year, they said that he had been removed from a Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) waiting list for urgent scoliosis surgery without their consent or knowledge. He was first placed on the waiting list in February 2022.
He died on 29 July and his mother said earlier this month that they did not have a cause of death.
Protesters gather at Custom House
Protesters marched from the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin to Customs House saying “what do we want, justice for Harvey, when do we want it now”.
Advocacy groups have called for a statutory inquiry into the reasons behind the backlog into spinal surgeries for children and what they say is a failure in care.
They say children have been suffering and waiting too long for the care and surgery they need.
They say they want answers for years of mismanaged waiting lists and resources.
Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt at the protest
Protesters were critical of Tánaiste Simon Harris, who in 2017, when he was Minister for Health, said no child would have to wait longer than four months for spinal surgery.
Last week, Mr Harris spoke to Harvey’s mother and said he would meet her in the “near future”.
Figures from Children’s Health Ireland show at the end of July this year 231 children were waiting for spinal surgery.
36 children are waiting between three and six months, 38 are waiting for over six months.