asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that the Southern Health Board are not providing emergency dental treatment for medical card holders and their families in cases where dental extractions are required urgently and where the applicants are prepared to attend dental clinics for urgent dental extractions; and if he will make a statement on the matter setting out details of any guidelines laid down by him in this regard.
Written Answers. - Emergency Dental Treatment.
483.
The Southern Health Board provide emergency dental treatment, including extractions, for medical card holders and their dependants. In the few isolated cases where the emergency dental service had to be suspended for a short time due to circumstances outside the board's control the service was resumed at the earliest opportunity. Health boards are urged to ensure that medical card holders and their dependants are provided with all the health services to which they are entitled and the boards normally make the provision of emergency services a priority.