Vol. 511 No. 6
299 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Health and Children if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 11 November 1999, arrangements will be made with the South-Eastern Health Board to have this service made available to PAYE workers who do not qualify for medical cards or hold private health insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25330/99]
As explained in my response to the Deputy's question of 11 November 1999, the South-Eastern Health Board does not have a dental surgeon attached to St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny, on a full-time basis. However, a dental surgeon provides a session of three hours one day per week in the day ward for children and adults.
The South-Eastern Health Board, in line with the experiences of the other boards, has had difficulty in recruiting and retaining suitably qualified dental practitioners. I understand from the board that as a result of this difficulty it is not possible to expand the dental service provided at St. Luke's at present and that the dental services provided there are limited. It was decided by the board that the most equitable solution to this situation was to confine the service to medical card holders.
Patients with medical cards who are assessed in the board's community care clinics and who are deemed in need of treatment but who can not be treated under local anaesthetic are referred to St Luke's and are admitted in due course to the day ward there. The board assists patients who are without medical cards and who are in need of further treatment by referring them either to the Dublin Dental Hospital or to a suitable private practitioner.
