The government has been called upon to address the low numbers of dentists in Clare providing care under the medical card scheme.
Shannon Sinn Féin Councillor Donna McGettigan who made the call, was reacting to the reply to a parliamentary question she recently had submitted to the minister for health.
Cllr McGettigan explained the background to her parliamentary question. “I was concerned about the lack of dental services after hearing from constituents that they couldn’t find a dentist to treat them or their children. Some of them were in pain and some had to
leave the county. I was worried when we had only seventeen to nineteen dentists in the scheme. So, I submitted a parliamentary question through my colleague Maurice Quinlivan TD (Limerick), to find out which dentists they were.”
“The reply from the minister’s office indicates that the number of Clare dentists in the scheme is now twelve, however, only eight have submitted monthly claims in the first five months of this year so the true figure is probably eight. People told me the dentist they had been using all along were no longer in the scheme. They are in pain, they are at risk of infections because they have teeth that need to be extracted. It’s a debilitating pain and it can lead to further complications.”
Cllr McGettigan said she will liaise with dentists to find out why they are not participating in the scheme. “I submitted the parliamentary question to see if I could find dentists for these patients. But to find out there are only eight dentists claiming for treatment under the scheme, that is something I will be looking into in the coming days.
I asked in a motion to Clare County Council that the council request ministerial intervention on this. They need to talk to dentists, find out exactly what the issues are and resolve them in the interests of the health of people in Clare. Lack of dental care can lead to other health issues, so this is a very serious matter”, Ms McGettigan concluded.