asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that PRSI contributors in County Mayo cannot avail themselves of any dental services at present; and if he will indicate his immediate proposals to have this serious discriminatory problem rectified in the near future.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dental Services.
11.
(Mayo West): Dental benefit under my Department's dental benefit scheme is provided by dental practitioners in private practice who sign an agreement to provide services under the scheme at an agreed scale of fees. They are not employees of the Department and may not be compelled to sign agreements if they do not wish to do so. Equally they cannot be prevented from resigning from the dental panel if at any time they so wish.
At present six dentists provide services under the scheme in County Mayo and my Department would welcome applications from other dentists in that county, who formerly participated in the scheme, to resume such participation under the same conditions as those applying to their 620 colleagues throughout the country who provide such an excellent and much appreciated service for insured persons.
In the neighbouring counties of Galway, Sligo, and Roscommon approximately 40 dentists provide services under the Department's dental benefit scheme. There is provision under the scheme whereby insured persons may be recouped travelling and other expenses necessarily incurred in obtaining treatment from a dentist practising under the scheme in another area if such treatment is not available from a local dentist. In this way insured persons in County Mayo may get dental treatment under the scheme from a dentist outside their own area if treatment is not available locally.
The Minister of State is well acquainted with the problems concerned so I cannot shout at him about the matter as I might shout at the Minister, but I would ask the Minister of State if he is satisfied that people from his constituency and from my constituency are paying money each week to the Government for services that they cannot avail of? Would he be prepared to meet a deputation of dentists from the county and have this long drawn out problem sorted out once and for all?
(Mayo West): I am prepared to do anything to try to alleviate the situation in the county because, as the Deputy has said, all of us as public representatives there are having problems by reason of the people for whom a dental service is not available in the county. One dentist from the county has written to me indicating that he is prepared to come and talk with me about the scheme. I trust that others will do likewise and that services can be restored.
Would the Minister be prepared to meet in his Department with a deputation of dentists from the county?
(Mayo West): I should be delighted to meet any such deputation.
12.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that a person (details supplied) in County Meath had a set of dentures made by a dentist (details supplied) and that despite representations both directly to him and to the Department of Social Welfare she has been unable to recover the money she paid for them; if he is satisfied that there is adequate recourse available to dental patients of professional inadequacies; and if he has any plans to change the law in this area so as to provide some independent means for dental patients to have their complaints investigated.
(Mayo West): The insured person concerned claimed dental benefit in July 1980 and was supplied with an acrylic denture. She signed a declaration to the effect that it had been fitted to her satisfaction.
In January 1981 she claimed that the denture supplied had become ill-fitting and requested a chrome cobalt denture which was supplied. She again signed a declaration that the denture had been fitted to her satisfaction.
In October 1981 the claimant notified my Department that the chrome cobalt denture was ill-fitting and the matter was referred for a second opinion to an examining dentist. He reported that, while the denture fitted the original mould, it did not appear to fit properly at the time of the examination.
The dentist involved then offered to supply a new chrome cobalt denture free of charge and in the meantime supplied a temporary acrylic denture, also free of charge. The new chrome cobalt denture was tested by the dentist, with a dental technician present, and arrangements were made for a final fitting but the claimant failed to attend for this fitting.
The Department paid a subvention towards both the original acrylic and chrome cobalt dentures, the balance being paid to the dentist on both occasions by the claimant. Any question of a refund is therefore a matter between the claimant and the dentist. The latter has however sold the practice and has left the country. The dentist who purchased the practice is prepared to complete the fitting of the chrome cobalt denture prepared by the previous dentist.
As regards the dental benefit scheme generally I am satisfied that there are adequate safeguards in the scheme for the investigation of complaints. In addition to the system of examining dentists my Department has a dental adviser available to advise on all matters, including complaints, arising out of the treatment of insured persons. Although approximately 200,000 claims for dental benefit are received each year there are very few complaints against the dentists participating in the scheme.