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GEORGE TOWN: A total of 6,781 children in Penang were diagnosed with speech or language disorders last year, said State Youth, Sports, and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen.

However, he said that the number of Penang Health Department’s speech therapists at government hospitals is only seven, with the average waiting time for treatment reaching 205 days.

According to him, one of the efforts initiated by the Paediatric Department is training parents through various workshops and training sessions so that they can continue treatment at home and assist with their children’s therapy.

“This initiative also aims to reduce the long waiting time for treatment,“ he said in response to a question from Heng Lee Lee (PH-Berapit) regarding the number of children with speech and language disorders compared to the number of speech therapists in government hospitals and the treatment waiting period, during the State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.

Gooi said that the state government has requested additional speech therapist positions and has raised the matter several times at the ministerial level while proposing collaborations with private hospitals to help reduce treatment waiting time.

He also revealed that the number of children with special needs in Penang has been increasing from 4,547 in 2021 to 6,165 as of May this year.

He said the figures include 5,264 children with learning disabilities, 326 with physical disabilities, 173 with multiple disabilities, 233 with hearing impairments, and 145 with visual impairments.