16 of the country's 21 regions are unable to meet the three-month deadline of the care guarantee, with the longest waiting times for hearing aids in Norrbotten and Gotland – where patients can wait up to 23 months before testing.
In roughly half of the regions, ten of 21, the waiting time is a year or more.
“Being forced to live without functioning communication for months and years, it is both inhumane and hazardous to health,” says Jonas Sahlberg, chairman of the National Association of the Deaf in a press release.
Only five regions – Skåne, Stockholm, Västmanland, Blekinge and Västra Götaland – begin hearing rehabilitation within the three months of the care guarantee, the survey finds.
The main reason for the long queues is that the number of hearing-impaired people with care needs is increasing, but not the resources of the regions. It is estimated that 1.7 million Swedes have hearing loss to varying degrees, 700,000 have hearing aids.
“Hearing care is struggling to reduce the queues, but the decision-makers of the regions tend to unfortunately trivialize and low-prioritize the need for hearing care,” says Jonas Sahlberg.
Facts: How long is the waiting time for new hearing aids
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Norrbotten: 3–23 months
Gotland: 20–22 months
Östergötland: 5–10 months (private healthcare providers) and 2–8 (regional clinics)
Jämtland/Härjedalen: 18 months
Västerbotten: 8–16 months
Värmland: 7–16 months
Gävleborg: 1–15 months
Jönköpings län: 14 months
Dalarna: 13 months
Kronoberg: 7–12 months
Uppsala: 5–11 months
Örebro: 8 months
Kalmar län: 3–8 months
Västernorrland: 6 months
Södermanland: 4–5 months
Halland: 3 months
Västra Götaland: 3 months
Västmanland: 2 months
Blekinge: 1–2 months
Stockholm: 0–3 months
Skåne: 0–2 months
Source: National Association of the Deaf
