Interviews for a children’s hearing specialist position in Galway that has remained vacant for almost 10 years are to be held before the end of the month. It is the second time this year that the senior audiological scientist post has been advertised but the HSE has been unable to attract a suitable candidate and hundreds of children remain on the waiting list for services.
Interviews for the position were previously held on at least two occasions, prior to the introduction of the recruitment moratorium in March 2009, and last December, after special dispensation was granted to recruit a specialist.
However candidates who were deemed suitable for the position have declined to accept the job. At the beginning of the year, 1,305 children remained on the waiting list for treatment or assessment for hearing impairment in Galway.
Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh, who raised the matter with the Minister for Health in the Dáil earlier this year, said he is hopeful this round of interviews will finally result in the position being filled: “It has been no less than a national scandal that this post has been allowed to remain vacant for so long while up to 1,300 children have been forced to wait for intervention that could have a major impact on their lives.
“However the position was re-advertised last month on the basis that it would be linked to a regional service based at Galway University Hospital, which will make it more attractive for prospective candidates. It is also being advertised much more widely in an attempt to broaden the candidate base and attract more and better applicants.
“I commend Minister Reilly for his intervention in this matter and real progress has been made since early in the year. The waiting time has been reduced from up to nine months down to four weeks since the beginning of the year and I am hopeful that a long-term and lasting solution is now on the horizon.”
The HSE has also offered sponsorships to science graduates for postgraduate courses in audiology based in Manchester and Southampton due to a shortage of qualified candidates in Ireland.
Interviews for the senior audiological scientist position are due to take place on October 28
