Seán Ryan
Question:303 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the annual cost of providing orthodontic care for patients being treated under the treatment purchase scheme in the mid-western region. [25371/02]
Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.
The provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons is the statutory responsibility of the health boards and authorities in the first instance. Last June, my Department provided funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment, on a once off basis. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The Mid-Western Health Board received €0.451 million from this fund for the treatment of cases in this way. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis.
A grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created to address the issues of recruitment and retention of qualified clinical personnel in the orthodontic service. In addition, my Department is funding 11 dentists this year from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. This is an aggregate of 18 public service dentists currently in training for specialist in orthodontics qualifications.
The creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist is another structural measure being introduced in order to increase the number of orthodontic treatments. In the short-term, additional funding of €6.729 million was approved for orthodontic services last year of which €4.698 million was to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. This is enabling health boards to recruit additional staff and engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients.
Finally, the chief executive officer of the Mid-Western Health Board has informed me that, at the end of the September 2002 quarter, there were 2,090 patients in orthodontic treatment in the board's area. This is an increase of 497 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients in treatment in December 2001. I expect that the number of patients in orthodontic treatment will continue to increase as the measures that I have taken to improve orthodontic services take effect.