I have received confirmation from the HSE that the waiting times for orthodontic assessments are 6 months for emergency cases and for routine cases in Galway it is 2 years.
“I was also been informed that currently there are 1321 patients awaiting an assessment”.
“There are a further 1,845 patients on the treatment waiting list with the waiting times for urgent cases of 1 year and 4.5 years for routine cases”.
“These waiting times are not acceptable and will get worse as a result of the COVID restrictions, no routine cases are being dealt with presently”.
“There is an urgent need to provide additional resources to tackle these unacceptable waiting times”.
“Children with need for orthodontic assessment and treatment are being treated in an unjust way and their confidence is being shattered”.
“I understand that there are unfilled posts and that a new specialist in orthodontic treatment is to be appointed in April 2021”.
“The HSE and Department of Health need to tackle the waiting times as a matter of urgency”.