Vol. 562 No. 2
201 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason children and families in the Western Health Board are being told they must wait another four years before orthodontic treatment can start, after waiting one year for orthodontic assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5745/03]
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons lies with the health boards in the first instance. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis, including those services provided in the Western Health Board area. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. This year my Department and the health boards are funding 13 dentists from various health boards, including two from the Western Health Board, for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training last year and one dentist whose specialist training is nearing completion. Thus, there is an aggregate of 20 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. 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 in 2001 of which €4.698 million was to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. The additional funding of €0.628 million allocated to the Western Health Board in 2001 for orthodontic services, includes €0.533 million for an orthodontic initiative in the board. The chief executive officer of the board has informed me that under the initiative, the board has, inter alia, recruited an additional specialist in orthodontics. Furthermore, two specialists in orthodontics who completed their training last year, have since taken up duty with the board.
Last year, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. Under the scheme, the Western Health Board received €0.465 million for the treatment of patients in this way. The chief executive officer of the Western Health Board has informed me that the number of cases awaiting orthodontic assessment and treatment, as at 31 December 2002, was 744 and 971 respectively. This is a reduction of 634 on the treatment waiting list in comparison with the corresponding figure at the end of the December 2001 quarter. The chief executive officer has also informed me that there were 1,496 patients receiving orthodontic treatment at that time. For children who are placed on a waiting list for treatment, the initiatives and structural changes that I have set out will bring about an improvement in waiting times for treatment and positively impact on the future delivery of orthodontic services in the longer term.
