Medical card dental care
Deputy Munster said medical card patients cannot access dental treatment and cited serious consequences for ill patients. The Minister replied that the scheme has been funded and fees increased, but many dentists are leaving because private practice pays better; he said further investment and a children's oral health service are being developed.
I raise the lack of dental care for medical card patients. I have raised this matter so often with this Government that it is deeply frustrating for me. I can only imagine how bad it is for patients affected. For almost two years now, patients with medical cards cannot access dental care. This includes patients who are seriously ill with diabetes and even with cancer.
To give an example, Drogheda, the largest town in Ireland, has not one single dentist treating patients with medical cards. That is replicated across the State. No matter how often the Minister states he is working to resolve this, there seems to be absolutely no urgency about it. The Irish Dental Association said recently that the previous time it had met with the Minister was in a Zoom meeting in 2021. At what stage do people have to wait for these services?
On top of that there are tens and tens of thousands of schoolchildren who have not even had their first routine check-up. It is shameful. When is this going to be resolved? Does the Minister have a date so that people can have access to proper dental health care?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, we allocated a great deal of money into the scheme. We have significantly increased the fees this year. The reality is the dentists themselves are withdrawing from the scheme. We can only presume that is because they make more money from private practice than they make from treating the public patients.
Comment on this
The scheme is not fit for purpose and I have already told the Minister that.
Comment on this
We are investing further into the scheme. The Deputy will also be aware from the budget that I have allocated funding for a national service now for early years oral health dental intervention for children, which will make a big difference. This is not to detract from the very real problems that patients with medical cards are having in trying to access services. We are aware of it and are allocating more and more money into the services, but at the moment many dentists are simply making more money from private practice than from treating public patients. We will continue to engage.