There are 650 children who are awaiting psychological assessment by the Child Development Assessment Unit , the health minister had disclosed in parliament.

He said that the backlog was due to the small number of clinical psychologists, but efforts are under way to recruit more.

The minister, Joe Cassar, said the waiting time for the children was between six months and two years, depending on age and the nature and urgency of the cases.

The service is provided part-time by four psychologists, who also have other duties within the Health Department, and the ministry is seeking to recruit 12 clinical psychologists as part of its capacity building exercise.