- The academic community has taken a unanimously negative stance on the law on certain medical professions adopted by the government, according to a statement published last week by the National Alliance of Academic Communities. This is in response to the opposition raised against the bill by speech therapists. In their view, if the government bill is adopted, access to speech therapy services will be greatly hindered, and many private practices will close.
The academic community supports the protest of speech therapists. It calls for the preparation of a separate law regulating their profession
Published April 11, 2023 13:44
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Last Friday (7.04.), a meeting was held between representatives of academia educating speech therapists, neurologists and surdologists in full-time, part-time and postgraduate studies with representatives of the Polish Speech-Language Pathology Association, the Polish Speech-Language Pathology Association and cooperating lawyers, as well as practicing speech therapists.
The academic community unanimously took a negative stance on the bill and the provisions in it for speech therapists.
- we are employees of the most important universities training speech therapy students who are entering the profession. Annually, about a thousand graduates receive the title of speech therapist at our centers. This gives us the right to express a critical opinion about the law under way.
The academic community sees the need to pass a separate law regulating the speech therapy profession, taking into account the specificity and interdisciplinarity of speech therapy. It opposes legislation that divides the speech therapy community, takes away previously acquired rights and diminishes the stature of the profession, the statement reads.
Of primary concern are the consequences for the education system and the situation of those studying speech therapy in full-time, part-time and postgraduate programs. This is because the entry into force of the law in its unchanged form will lead to questioning of their competence and right to use the title of professional speech therapist.
- The proposed changes threaten the existing system of training speech therapists, which has been developed over decades and has been repeatedly modernized. This system allows for the training of specialists who are fully prepared to meet the challenges posed by societal needs, university representatives stress.
The All-Poland Alliance of Academic Environments appeals to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science to exclude the profession of speech therapist from the provisions of the law under consideration, and to enter into talks with representatives of the academic community, the Polish Association of Speech-Language Therapists, the Polish Speech-Language Society and practicing speech therapists. The goal of the negotiations should be to pass a separate, inter-ministerial law on the speech therapy profession.
Nearly a hundred scientists representing universities training speech therapists signed the statement.
