Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2004
21 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention was drawn to the unacceptable waiting period for orthodontic treatment in County Kerry that is now the longest in the country; and the action he will take to solve the problem. [18491/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of orthodontic services in the Southern Health Board is the responsibility of its CEO in the first instance. I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services in the area and on a national basis.
The grade of specialist in orthodontics was created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003 my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards for the qualification at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. The trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. There is an aggregate of 19 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
My Department's commitment to training development is manifested in the funding provided to the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. The appointment will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to a specialist qualification in orthodontics. The health board's CEO reported that a professor commenced duty on 1 December 2003. In recognition of the importance of the post my Department approved, in principle, a proposal by the school to further improve its training facilities for orthodontics. The project should see the construction of a large orthodontic unit and support facilities. It will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service for the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.
In June 2002 my Department provided an additional €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to the health boards and authority to purchase orthodontic treatment. It has enabled the boards to provide additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The SHB was allocated an additional €720,000 from the fund for the treatment of cases in this way.
The board's CEO has informed my Department that 30 to 36 months is the average waiting time for orthodontic treatment in County Kerry. It is less than the average waiting time for orthodontic treatment in the entire board reported by him at the end of March. The CEOs of the health boards and authority informed my Department that at the end of the March quarter 2004 as many as 21,033 children had received orthodontic treatment. As many as 3,400 children are receiving treatment from the SHB. In other words, almost one out of every six children being treated by the public orthodontic service is from the SHB area.
There are nearly twice as many children receiving orthodontic treatment as there are children waiting to be treated. Almost 4,000 extra children have received treatment from the health boards and authority since the end of 2001.
