Children in need of help with speech, eating, drinking and swallowing are being put on ever-lengthening waiting lists as the HSE are drafting their therapists to carry out swabbing and contact tracing.
As the Covid-19 pandemic stretches on across the world, hundreds of public servants here in Ireland, including speech and language therapists, are being called upon to perform contact tracing and even swab tests, meaning their regular patients are being put on waiting lists, which are getting longer by the day.
According to the Independent, the issue was raised recently by Roscommon Independent TD Denis Naughten as HSE officials appeared before the Oireachtas health committee to be quizzed about its testing and tracing system.
However, according to the HSE, seconded staff will be allowed to return to their normal jobs once there is a permanent swabbing and contact tracing team in place – although, unfortunately, this can end up taking ‘several weeks to do.’
