asked the Minister for Health if he plans to provide a second dental hospital in this country; if he is aware that there is now a three year waiting list in the dental hospital in Dublin; and that local authorities have now ceased to send names of patients to this hospital, leaving patients with no hope of treatment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dental Hospital.
3.
The provision of a dental hospital is primarily a matter for the Minister for Education, who set out the current position in reply to a Parliamentary Question on 18th June last.
I presume the Deputy's concern is mainly with the waiting list, at the Dublin Dental Hospital, of children referred under the school dental service for orthodontic treatment.
As there is only a small number of orthodontists in practice in this country, most health authorities have had to rely on the Dublin Dental Hospital to carry out this specialised form of treatment for these children. Owing to the large number of such cases referred for treatment, the hospital has found it necessary to suspend the addition of new cases to the waiting list. Meanwhile, the hospital is treating patients already on the waiting list and, in order to ease the position, my Department has agreed to the creation of the post of whole-time orthodontist by the Dublin Health Authority and to the engagement of practising orthodontists, on a part-time basis, in a number of other areas.
Would the Minister not agree that it is quite wrong that this should be a matter for the Minister for Education when the main consideration is that patients are on a long waiting list and it is not so much a question of training as of providing this service for the people?
I have already indicated to the House that steps are being taken to increase the number of orthodontists working in this country.
How soon does the Minister expect these orthodontists will be appointed and will be able to carry out the work?
I have not got exact dates in regard to that.