Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
142 Mr. Lowry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether there is a crisis with orthodontic treatment for children in the mid-western region and in north Tipperary in particular; her strategy for dealing with waiting lists in certain parts of the country for orthodontic treatment for children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28250/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of orthodontic services is the statutory responsibility of the health boards/authority in the first instance.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a number of measures have been adopted to improve orthodontic services in the Mid-Western Health Board, MWHB, area and on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. Thus, 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.
Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. My Department has given approval in principle to a proposal to further substantially improve training facilities for orthodontics at the school, which will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region — including the MWHB — under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.
In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards/authority specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The MWHB was allocated an additional €451,000 from this fund for the treatment of cases in this way.
The chief executive officer of the Mid-Western Health Board has informed my Department that at the end of the September 2004 quarter, there were 1,863 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the board. The chief executive officers of the health boards/authority have informed my Department that at the end of the September 2004 quarter, there were 22,168 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This means that there are over twice as many patients getting orthodontic treatment as there are waiting to be treated and more than 6,000 extra patients are getting treatment from the health boards-authority since the end of the September 2001 quarter.
