Long NHS waits: My child flew to Turkey for op

Megan's family had to pay privately for surgery
"I was really sore. It was really painful. And I felt really drowsy and sick, and just wanted to go back to bed," says Megan, watching a video of her first steps after major spinal surgery.

Wearing pyjamas and fluffy slippers, she treads carefully, held up on either side by a Turkish nurse.

Megan flew to Istanbul for private surgery late last year, having been told she faced long delays for an operation to fix the deformation of her spine, which was causing her problems breathing.

When the healthcare trust in Belfast told her parents it would be at least a year before she could have the procedure, they felt they had no choice but to fundraise for treatment.

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Through the generosity of strangers, the money was raised - but surgery to insert four metal rods into her spine was painful and expensive, costing about £30,000.

Just a few days after treatment, 14-year-old Megan had to board a plane home to Northern Ireland.

"But I was so happy, because I just wanted it over and done with, and to get back on the road to recovery," she says.

source:www.bbc.com