Latest news with #ChildY
The National
4 days ago
- Health
- The National
UK Government facing legal action over Gaza medical evacuations
Reports from The Guardian reveal a case has been brought against the Foreign Office and the Home Office on behalf of three children with life-threatening conditions. Lawyers argue ministers have failed to consider the severe lack of medical care in Gaza before denying evacuation requests. READ MORE: 'Israel killed my brother. My boycott app in his memory now has 11 million users' The legal claim highlights the UK's inconsistency, pointing out that Britain evacuated children from war zones in Bosnia and Ukraine, but has not done so for Gaza. Carolin Ott of Leigh Day, the law firm representing the children, told The Guardian: 'The UK Government has explained its failure on the basis that it supports treatment options in [[Gaza]] and the surrounding region and that there are visas available for privately funded medical treatment in the UK. 'However, these mechanisms are profoundly inadequate.' The children's families say evacuation is urgently needed. One child, aged two and referred to in the case as Child Y, suffers daily bleeding caused by an arteriovenous malformation in his cheek, leaving him in critical condition. The two other children, referred to as Child S, are siblings with cystinosis nephropathy, a chronic condition also known as leaky kidney. Both have developed kidney failure and may require transplants, and one sibling is now immobile as a result. Despite pressure from campaigners, the UK has not created a specific safe immigration route for these children. The genocide in Gaza has now lasted over 650 days. More than 17,000 of the 58,000 Palestinians killed were children, according to Gaza's health ministry. READ MORE: 'Time to take action': What it was like at the national Palestine demo in Edinburgh The World Health Organization estimates 12,500 [[Gaza]]ns require medical evacuation. As of April, over 7000 have been evacuated abroad, nearly 5000 of them children. As reported by The National, Dr Hani Isleem of Médecins Sans Frontières previously said that some countries fear that accepting patients will be seen as encouraging 'forced migration.' A UK Government spokesperson said they've funded healthcare for 500,000 Palestinians and backed initiatives like Project Pure Hope. However, only two children have reached the UK via this route, and government funding was denied. First Minister John Swinney recently wrote to Keir Starmer, urging him to 'engage' with Scotland over treating ill and injured Gazan children, though Starmer is yet to reply. The Government must respond to the legal challenge by 28 July.
Middle East Eye
10-07-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
The UK must act now to save Gaza's children
For the past 21 months, Gaza has faced genocide at the hands of the Israeli state. Over this time, I've watched with heartbreak, frustration and resolve as a humanitarian crisis has spiralled into a catastrophe. Gaza's health system has been all but destroyed. Thousands of children have suffered catastrophic injuries from bombing, burns, shrapnel, starvation or delayed treatment. Thousands have chronic health conditions but are unable to receive vital treatment that would be easily accessible in so many countries. Their only hope lies beyond the border, yet so few are being allowed to leave. That's why, for nearly two years, I've been working with charities, clinicians, legal advocates and cross-party colleagues to campaign for the UK to step up - not just in words, but in actions. And finally, in April, we saw a breakthrough. Two brave young children arrived in London from Gaza - the first children medically evacuated to the UK since the escalation began in October 2023. They came here for urgent treatment. One needed surgery to save her sight. The other had a lifelong bowel condition that local doctors simply could not treat. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Their journey was made possible thanks to the amazing work of NGOs and a network of supporters, including frontline National Health Service staff, lawyers and campaigners. This was a landmark moment. But we must be clear: it cannot stop here. The arrival of these two children should be viewed as the start of a national programme, not the end of a campaign. Coordinated response The UK has a commendable track record of supporting children to receive needed medical care during armed conflict. It has proven that it can act and that there is political will. It has proven that we have the capacity, the infrastructure, and crucially, the support of healthcare professionals and the public. What we haven't seen yet is a coordinated, scaled-up response. Last October, Unicef reported that around 2,500 children in Gaza needed complex medical care that could only be delivered outside of the war-torn territory - but just 22 children per month were being medically evacuated because of the Rafah border closure. At that rate, it would take more than seven years to treat the children already identified as needing urgent care. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war Nearly a year on, we expect this situation to be much graver - and these children simply do not have that time. Many are suffering in unbearable environments with open wounds, amputations, burns and untreated infections. Some are being operated on without anaesthetic. Others have conditions that in any other part of the world would be treatable, but in Gaza, are now fatal. Take the stories of Child Y and Twins S and S, two cases being supported by the NGO Children Not Numbers. Child Y is a two-year-old boy in Gaza. Since January 2024, he has suffered from a terrifying and rapidly deteriorating condition. What started as bleeding from a lesion in his mouth was later revealed via CT scan to be an aggressive growth of blood vessels spreading across his face, jaw and skull. This mass is not responding to treatment. He is in a lot of pain and the bleeding is relentless. Child Y now requires frequent blood transfusions and is severely anaemic. His family lives in constant fear of a catastrophic bleed that could take his life at any moment. Child Y, a two-year-old boy from Gaza who suffers from a life-threatening medical condition, is pictured with his mother (Photo submitted by Children Not Numbers) Recent scans suggest the growth might be a malignant tumour, but without the ability to biopsy or treat it locally, doctors in Gaza are helpless. There is a window - a narrow one - in which this child could be saved, but that window is closing. He urgently needs evacuation to a specialist hospital abroad. Without it, he will almost certainly die. Twins S and S are four-year-old siblings suffering from cystinosis, a rare lifelong genetic condition that causes toxic levels of the amino acid cystine to build up in cells, gradually destroying vital organs. The standard treatment is a drug called cysteamine taken regularly, plus careful monitoring. But due to the blockade and bombing, this essential medication is no longer available in Gaza. Without it, the twins' health is spiralling. Both have been hospitalised for dangerous electrolyte imbalances. Their kidneys are already damaged and require further treatment. Malnutrition, another consequence of the siege, is compounding their suffering. What makes this even more heartbreaking is that their condition would be entirely manageable - if they had access to proper care. Without urgent evacuation to a paediatric centre with access to medication, specialist paediatric facilities for assessment and intervention, and nutritional support, they will not survive. Lifesaving intervention These children don't need charity; they need access. What could a UK intervention mean? Everything. It could mean a diagnosis, surgery, a lifesaving drug or treatment. It could mean they have a future. The UK has the hospitals, the doctors and - above all - the moral responsibility to offer that lifeline. One decision could be the difference between life and death. The only question is whether we will choose to act. We need to urgently scale up the medical evacuation of children, and the UK must play its part. We have seen our European counterparts step up. Countries like Italy and France have created dedicated pathways. The complete collapse of Gaza's health system at the hands of Israel means that the care required simply doesn't exist locally. A wider response is not only appropriate, but also a matter of moral urgency. I welcome the initial work of our government and the support given by ministers. But the truth is, this response remains an outrageous shortfall. We need action, not words. These children cannot wait any longer. They need us now The evacuation of the first two children was funded entirely through private and charitable donations. Not a penny came from the NHS. The visas were granted through existing discretionary powers, not through a structured or sustainable government scheme. And as of today, no clear pathway exists for NGOs or families to request medical evacuations to the UK on a consistent basis. We have a moral duty and the logistical means to do more. We've done it before: for Ukrainian children, for Syrian refugees, for unaccompanied minors fleeing war. Why not for Gaza's children? This isn't about politics. It's about life and death. If we can save a child, we must. Across the country, people are speaking out. Doctors are volunteering. Charities are mobilising. Communities are fundraising. And parliamentarians from across the House of Commons are working together to make sure this doesn't stop with two children. I am calling on the government to do what this country does best in times of crisis: show compassion, lead by example and act decisively. We need action, not words. These children cannot wait any longer. They need us now. The first evacuation story gives us hope. But hope must become sustained action. The government must turn this pilot evacuation into a permanent, humane and properly funded programme. We know it can be done. Now we need to see it done at scale. Because every child in Gaza who needs urgent care deserves the same chance: the chance to live. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council to pay £6,500 after failing autistic child
A council should pay £6,500 in compensation to an autistic child and their mother for failing to provide special educational provision (SEP), an ombudsman has found. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said Slough Borough Council was at fault in the case of the child, known as Child Y, and the mother, Ms X, and should apologise. The ombudsman also said the authority's complaint handling caused "avoidable distress and time and trouble". The council apologised and said it sincerely regretted its "shortcomings". The ombudsman said it had failed to provide Y's education, health and care plan between September 2023 and July 2024. The child was home schooled by the mother from June 2022 to September 2023, but was then due to transfer to a secondary school as part of a council education, health and care (EHC) plan. But the mother told the council's SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) team that the school could not meet Y's needs. The council said the situation would be reviewed in October and that Ms X's preferred school had no available places, but in the end she did not send her child to the recommended school. Months of complaints from Ms X and correspondence between the relevant institutions continued until the following Summer. The ombudsman found that the council failed to secure the education as part of its care plan and caused Ms X "confusion and frustration" because of its "poor complaint response". The report said the authority should "remedy the injustice" with a payment of £6,000 to reflect Y's lost SEP, and one of £500 to Ms X to reflect her "avoidable distress and time and trouble complaining". In a statement a council spokeswoman said: "While alternative tuition was provided, we accept it did not fully meet the requirements of Y's EHC plan. "We are pleased to note that Y has been attending special school placement since September 2024." She said a "great deal of improvements and development" had taken place in the last 18 months, and since the failings in this case the council had taken "corrective action", and made more approved tuition providers available "to ensure timely delivery of support". It had also "improved clarity" in its complaint processes, and was "committed to improving services for children with EHC plans". The council was previously ordered to pay a mother £9,400 after her autistic son was deprived of education for more than a year. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Mother awarded £9,400 over education battle for son Slough Borough Council - Special Educational Needs
BBC News
03-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Slough Borough Council to pay £6,500 after failing autistic child
A council should pay £6,500 in compensation to an autistic child and their mother for failing to provide special educational provision (SEP), an ombudsman has Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said Slough Borough Council was at fault in the case of the child, known as Child Y, and the mother, Ms X, and should ombudsman also said the authority's complaint handling caused "avoidable distress and time and trouble".The council apologised and said it sincerely regretted its "shortcomings". The ombudsman said it had failed to provide Y's education, health and care plan between September 2023 and July child was home schooled by the mother from June 2022 to September 2023, but was then due to transfer to a secondary school as part of a council education, health and care (EHC) the mother told the council's SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) team that the school could not meet Y's council said the situation would be reviewed in October and that Ms X's preferred school had no available places, but in the end she did not send her child to the recommended of complaints from Ms X and correspondence between the relevant institutions continued until the following Summer. The ombudsman found that the council failed to secure the education as part of its care plan and caused Ms X "confusion and frustration" because of its "poor complaint response".The report said the authority should "remedy the injustice" with a payment of £6,000 to reflect Y's lost SEP, and one of £500 to Ms X to reflect her "avoidable distress and time and trouble complaining". In a statement a council spokeswoman said: "While alternative tuition was provided, we accept it did not fully meet the requirements of Y's EHC plan. "We are pleased to note that Y has been attending special school placement since September 2024."She said a "great deal of improvements and development" had taken place in the last 18 months, and since the failings in this case the council had taken "corrective action", and made more approved tuition providers available "to ensure timely delivery of support".It had also "improved clarity" in its complaint processes, and was "committed to improving services for children with EHC plans".The council was previously ordered to pay a mother £9,400 after her autistic son was deprived of education for more than a year. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
