HSE CEO Paul Reid has apologised to a 10-year-old boy awaiting urgent scoliosis surgery after a four-year delay.
Adam Terry from Cork has been waiting since 2017 for the crucial surgery.
His condition deteriorated in the meantime and he was told in December of 2020 that he would receive surgery in the spring.
But in February, his mother Christine was told they would be waiting a further six to nine months.
His story was highlighted on Today with Claire Byrne on Tuesday, which led to the Taoiseach labelling the situation "not good enough" while speaking in the Dáil.
Christine had told the RTE show: “Adam was down to 18kg. I just remind you; Adam is ten years old. At that point, his day-to-day quality of life was horrendous,"
“Adam became in so much pain that he now has to join the CUH [Cork University Hospital] pain management team,” she added.
Appearing on Today with Claire Byrne on Friday morning, HSE CEO Paul Reid directly apologised for the situation, though did note that Covid and the HSE cyberattack had caused issues.
"I heard back the interview and it is heart-breaking. We are extremely sorry for what happened to Adam and all the other scoliosis patients waiting for surgery," he said.
"What I will say is that plans have been submitted to address these waiting lists. There is no doubt our lists are across-the-board systemic and a legacy issue that we have to address.
"We are going to approach hat in two ways - an immediate action plan between now and the end of the year. Also, we are addressing it in a multi-annual approach over three to five years."
