asked the Minister for Health if dentists in private practice will be employed for the treatment of medical card holders on the scale of fees applicable to the treatment of applicants under the social welfare scheme, in view of the large number of medical card holders awaiting dental treatment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dental Treatment Facilities.
13.
I recognise that dental treatment facilities for medical card holders are not adequate at present. Considerable delay before treatment is received is a common feature of the present system and is a feature which I would wish to do away with at the earliest opportunity.
However, it will not be possible to introduce a scheme such as that envisaged by the Deputy in the current year, since there is no provision for such a scheme in the Estimates for my Department. The estimated cost of a service for medical card holders similar to that provided under the Department of Social Welfare's dental benefit scheme is in excess of £1 million.
I intend to review the matter during the current year.
Is the Minister aware that dentists in the west of Ireland, particularly in my county, cannot cope with this backlog? As a public representative, I am tormented every day with people who are making representations to the chief dental officer——
This is a rather long question.
Would the Minister consider allowing private dentists to operate this scheme with a view to alleviating the hardship on the dentists operating the scheme at the moment?
I am not quite sure whether the private dentist could do that, but, as I have said, there is no money provided in the Estimate this year for what I would hope would be a far better service than is in operation at present. I do not think the situation is peculiar to the west of Ireland either; it is unsatisfactory throughout the whole country. There are factors which have to be considered, including the financial one, before the system which was envisaged in the main Health Act becomes a reality.
Certain private dentists would operate this scheme if the regulation was there.
They would probably do it if the money was right, too.