asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give an assurance that, in the event of any future dispute involving medical or dental personnel employed by his Department, arrangements will be made to ensure that insured persons do not suffer financial loss.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical and Dental Disputes.
17.
It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to a situation similar to that which arose during the recent dispute with the Irish Dental Association, as a result of which a majority of dentists withdrew from my Department's dental benefit scheme. In this connection I wish to point out that the dentists who participate in the dental benefit scheme are not employed by my Department. Each such dentist enters into a contract to provide dental treatment to qualified insured persons in accordance with a prescribed scale of fees. As I informed the Deputy on Tuesday last, there is no statutory authority which would enable me to reimburse the cost of dental treatment received by insured persons from dentists outside the scheme. I cannot, therefore, give the assurance sought by the Deputy.
No medical doctors are employed by, or are under contract to, my Department to provide medical treatment to insured persons.