In 2017 Eileen Wilson was referred by her doctor for a neurological consultation having showed signs of multiple sclerosis. She has yet to receive any in-person appointment with a neurological consultant or to be formally diagnosed in any way.
Ms Wilson, alongside Ms May Kitchen, a lady from Belfast, has decided to take legal action, in the form of judicial review, against the health authorities in Northern Ireland wherein they argue that the region's waiting lists for medical treatment are unlawful.
According to the Irish Times, Northern Ireland has the worst waiting lists in the UK with "more than 300,000 people currently waiting on a consultant-led appointment – more than half of them waiting over a year."
Ms Kitchen waited years for her cataract to be treated by the health service but ended up paying to have it addressed privately as there was no sign of any assistance forthcoming from the health authorities.
The women's judicial review is against the Department of Health, the recently discontinued Health and Social Care Board, and the two trusts that are responsible for their respective care – the South Eastern trust in Ms Wilson's case, and the Belfast trust with Ms Kitchen. The women claim the length of the waiting lists is unlawful and are in breach of their human rights.
A victory in this matter would bring not only compensation for the women, but it would also benefit countless others who are waiting on medical help in the region. “There are people dying on waiting lists and it’s not fair,” Ms Wilson said. “People can’t get appointments – even cancer patients can’t get appointments, it’s just horrible. I want my case to help other people as well, to help other people that are on waiting lists. It's just in a really bad place the NHS, it's not in a good place at all. I just need a diagnosis, even if it’s not MS I need to find out if it’s something else."
A proposed three-year budget for Stormont that prioritised health spending was not passed earlier this year due to the political deadlock in the devolved institutions over Brexit's Northern Ireland protocol. Ms Wilson is further pursuing legal action against the Stormont Executive for failing to re-establish a civic forum in Northern Ireland which was contained in the Good Friday Agreement and which would provide a much needed vehicle for civic bodies to inform political considerations on matters of social concern, such as the state of the health service.
The initial judicial review action is due to begin Tuesday 31st May.