asked the Minister for Health when the holders of medical cards in the Southern Health Board area can again avail themselves of their rights to free dental and ophthalmic services.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Dental and Ophthalmic Services.
23.
Free dental and ophthalmic services continue to be available for medical card holders in the Southern Health Board area. These services are provided by health board dentists and ophthalmologists and by the hospitals in the area.
However, the board have suspended the issue of authorisations enabling persons to attend private dentists and to obtain a sight test from a private ophthalmologist or ophthalmic optician. The board have already exhausted the funds which they allocated in 1981 for these arrangements but propose to resume the issue of authorisations in 1982.
When did the money run out? When were the services discontinued?
I think it was some time in October, but I am not altogether sure. The issue of authorisations under the ad hoc dental appliances scheme has been suspended from September 1981 by the Western Health Board. The issue of authorisations for the sight testing scheme have been suspended by the North Eastern Health Board. Both boards exhausted their allocation for these arrangements for 1981. No official notification of the suspension of the services has been received from any other health board.
Did the Southern Health Board contact the Department?
The issue of authorisations under the ad hoc dental and sight-testing arrangements were suspended by the Southern Health Board in July and September respectively as their allocation under the arrangement of £552,000 had been exhausted. It is proposed to resume the issue of authorisations in January 1982 when funds become available.
Did they notify the Minister's office?
They are not obliged to notify my office but I am aware of it.
I am asking if the Southern Health Board notified the Minister's office.
I am not aware of it. I have no notification from them.
The Minister of State has stated that the North Eastern Health Board is affected similarly. Would he agree that the North Eastern, Western and Southern Health Boards represent three areas in which services have so far been suspended? I suspect that quite a few other services currently are being suspended.
I am sure the Deputy is aware that the Minister and the Department have no authority whatsoever over the spending by a health board of the non-capital allocation. The allocation was made in January 1981 and it was not sufficient to provide the services for the full year. This is not the first time this has happened. The allocation was not sufficient, therefore the services had to be dispensed with. The service is available under the old scheme and this will be reviewed in January 1982 when the new allocation will be made.
Is the Minister of State aware that the Minister's predecessor had regular meetings with the CEOs and chairmen of the health boards to assess on a management basis the progress of the services and that on this basis the funds were provided up to the time of the July budget to carry the services through to the end of the year?
The Minister informed the Deputy earlier that she was having a meeting with the health boards and the CEOs. I am sure this is one of the items which will be discussed. The problem is that sufficient money was not made available although it is only a problem with some boards because it depends on non-capital allocation schemes.