Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:70 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the steps, if any, which he will take to address the lack of dentists in Inishowen, County Donegal, before the issue creates a crisis among children and parents. [19540/96]
Written Answers. - Donegal Dental Services.
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:71 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the incentives, if any, which can be given to encourage dentists to take up posts in Inishowen, County Donegal as a matter of urgency. [19542/96]
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:72 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the advertisements, if any, which have been placed in national papers in respect of two vacant posts for school dentists in Inishowen, County Donegal; and the number of interviews which have been held in this regard. [19543/96]
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:73 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health his views on whether one dentist per 3,500 children in County Donegal compared to one dentist per 1,880 in Sligo/Leitrim is an issue which deters dentists from taking up posts in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19545/96]
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 70, 71, 72 and 73 together.
The provision of dental services in County Donegal and the filling of dental posts is the statutory responsibility of the North-Western Health Board. I understand that the board has made repeated efforts to recruit dentists for the Inishowen area. In June the Local Appointments Commission recommended a dentist for appointment to the board and it is the board's intention to deploy this dentist in the Inishowen area as soon as she is available to take up the appointment. The board has requested the Local Appointments Commission to readvertise existing vacancies.
The board has on two occasions over recent months advertised for the temporary appointment of dentists to fill vacant posts in the region. The board held interviews as a result of these competitions but were unable to make appointments to the vacancies in the Inishowen area. However, the board, through the principal dental surgeon for the Donegal area, is at present in contact with a number of dentists who may be interested in taking up employment with the board in the Inishowen area.
In order to assist the board in its recruitment difficulties my Department has allowed the board to grant incremental credit to dentists recruited on a temporary basis. In addition the board offers part-time work to dentists where that is more suitable for the dentists considering employment. There is no question of a crisis developing in the Inishowen area. The board is continuing to provide a reduced service in Inishowen by redeploying a dentist from the Letterkenny clinic and the practice will continue to be reviewed. There is currently a full complement of dentists in the Sligo/Leitrim area. The dentist/patient ratio varies in all of the board's areas from time to time.
My Department is currently in discussion with the staff associations on the restructuring of the health board dental services. One of the benefits to flow from agreement in this area would be to provide a more attractive career structure for health board dentists which would assist health boards in appointing dentists to areas which experience recruitment difficulties.