Dr. Will Rymer:

I left the scheme in 2017. I was working as an associate in a practice for many years. As the Senator may be able to tell from my accent, I am a Welsh graduate, not an Irish graduate. I am NHS-trained and born and bred with the availability of the NHS. It was natural for me to move into the medical card scheme when I arrived in Ireland. Unfortunately, even in 2009 and 2010, the medical card scheme was not and is not the NHS. When the cuts were made in 2010, the quality of the dentistry we were able to provide was significantly impacted. We have seen a trend over time. I saw patients and offered them a level of care for which the service allows. Over the course of five, six or seven years, I saw the quality of their dentition deteriorate. I was providing a good standard of work but I was very limited as to how much care I could provide in a particular period. The patients I saw when I first arrived in Ireland now have missing teeth, dentures and heavily restored teeth. I would have liked to be able to offer a lot more.