asked the Minister for Health the arrangements being made to ensure that a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 can have the orthodontic treatment which a school dental inspection six years ago indicated that she required, and which has not been provided.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Orthodontic Treatment.
7.
The person in question is on the health board's waiting list for complicated orthodontic treatment. This type of treatment, involving the use of fixed appliances, can only be provided by a specialist orthodontist. The Eastern Health Board do not have such a specialist on their staff at present but a post of consultant orthodontist has been advertised several times without success. New means of filling the post will shortly be employed and it is confidently expected that this will attract a suitable applicant. The filling of this post will give the board a means of providing complicated orthodontic treatment for cases such as the one referred to in the Deputy's question.
Would the Minister not agree there is a need for some immediate steps to be taken to deal with cases such as the case of this young girl who has been waiting for more than six years. This woman will be 18 years in July. Can the Minister tell me if she will qualify for this treatment when she reaches the age of 18 years?
As far as I am aware, the person in question will qualify. Now that we are making this consultant post more attractive—it is being linked to an academic basis—the post should be sufficiently attractive to entice, if I may use that word, more candidates to apply. Then we should have a satisfactory service.
Will one orthodontist be sufficient to cater for the needs of the Leitrim and contiguous areas to enable persons like those referred to in the question to receive service?
We are very anxious to fill these vacancies. Only one has been filled to date in the mid-western region and the evidence we have is that the single appointment referred to can make a big impact in that region.
In view of the fact that this has been going on for years and that the person I have referred to has been waiting all that time, can we be assured that we will not be back here again next year, with a similar complaint?
The question is about one person.
Can the Minister arrange some special facilities so that this young woman will have the orthodontic treatment she so urgently needs? I know of several such cases.
I know of thousands.
I suppose I could name thousands. Can arrangements be made to give this young woman the necessary treatment?
I am sure the Deputy would not allow a situation to develop in which, five consultant posts not being filled, this work would be let by the health boards to consultants on a fee per item basis, a very expensive fee. That is the alternative. We have six vacant posts approved, one of which has been filled. These consultant orthodontists will be appointed on a public service basis by the Local Appointments Commission and I have tried to link these posts on an academic basis. This should attract people to apply. That should just about get us over the problem on this occasion.
Given that we have had problems from the time of a previous Minister and that the Minister's best intentions——
The Deputy cannot make a speech.
Despite having this post available——
The Deputy will have to ask a question.
Given that the approach has not worked——
The Deputy should not ignore the Chair. I will not allow a long preamble.
——would the Minister consider doing what he mentioned himself, providing a service for the people who can afford it through private consultants——
The Deputy cannot go on like this.
I am reluctant to do what the Deputy suggests because of the major costs involved in sending eligible children to private consultants on a fee per item basis. I want to see a public service provided.
Can the Minister indicate when it is hoped that the present backlog will be cleared and when people in this category can hope to have this treatment? Will it be in one month, three months, this year, or when?
The availability of the posts on a restructured basis will apply shortly and we hope suitable applicants will be attracted. I certainly will not delay the process.