I welcome the Minister of State and thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter. I ask the Minister for Health and Children to explain the rationale for leaving children with hearing loss or who are deaf without an audiological scientist in Galway since 2002, apart from some sketchy periods when a qualified person has been provided on an ad hoc basis. I ask the Minister of State to outline the timeframe for filling this post and indicate when it will be filled.
I am about to share with the Minister of State an incredible scandal involving a clear infringement of the rights of deaf children. If he listens, as I know he will, he will understand why this is the case. Since 2002 in Galway children with hearing loss or require a hearing test have had to wait considerably long periods before seeing an audiological scientist. There has been no full-time audiological scientist in the area since 2002 and the HSE has only provided a limited and inadequate service, using visiting qualified scientists in three to four sessions per month to assess children. The current waiting list runs to almost 1,300 deaf children who are awaiting their first assessment and review. Clearly, this is unacceptable.
During the years the HSE has attempted to fill the post but to no avail. The last time it was advertised was early 2009, at which point four candidates were invited to attend an interview. Two withdrew for personal reasons, while two were waiting to be interviewed when the embargo on recruitment was implemented. Their interviews were cancelled as a result. Should an embargo have been applied in this case? I say, "No." By November 2009 the HSE was unable to meet its commitment to provide even a locum service, thus leaving deaf children in Galway without a service, including hearing tests, the provision of moulds or the upgrading of hearing aids. As a result, with great difficulty parents have had to source moulds and seek tests elsewhere in the country.
In March parents of hearing impaired children in Galway reformed a campaign to fight for the provision of a service for their children.The parents felt it was important to stand up for their children's rights. As parents they were in a position to know the services they needed for their children to help them develop socially and help develop their speech and language skills and give them access to a good education. In order for this to happen, children need to have full facilities provided by the HSE. They are entitled to a free audiological service until they are 18. The biggest stumbling block in the campaign for a better service is the continued lack of a senior audiological scientist in Galway.
Let me remind the Minister of State what an audiological scientist does and how he helps deaf and hearing-impaired children. An audiologist is a health care professional specialising in identifying, diagnosing, testing and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular system portions of the ear. Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage and treat hearing or balance problems. They are also involved in newborn hearing screening programs and school hearing screening programmes and they advise on special fittings and hearing protection devices to help prevent hearing loss. They are critical to the early identification of deafness, and thus are critical to the successful treatment of deafness and hearing impairment and to coping with it.
This is the essential expert service that has been absent in 1,300 children's lives in Galway. If the Minister of State or I were a parent of a hearing-impaired or deaf child, we would be testing this case in the courts. It is unbelievable that all the children in question have been treated as they have been. It has affected the quality of their lives and prevented them from getting an even break alongside hearing children in so far as this is possible with their condition. It contributes to the lack of an appropriate education, to which we have a right. An education should be appropriate to one's needs. If the Government had implemented the EPSEN Act, these children's rights would be protected. The HSE has not tried hard enough to get an audiologist for them.
I learned today that the HSE interviewed yesterday a candidate for the post of audiologist. Given the evolving circumstances, has the HSE found a suitable candidate? If so, has he or she been ring-fenced for Galway, which has been so neglected for a long time and which is now at crisis point given that nearly 1,300 children are waiting to be seen? It is a daunting task for one audiologist to try to diagnose and meet the ongoing treatment needs of 1,300 children. Without this very basic and essential service, deaf children are being further disabled by this State. I am keen to hear the response of the Minister of State.
