Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On page 47 of the programme for Government, reference is made to improving public health, focusing on primary care. Dental services for medical card patients in the county I come from, County Laois, have collapsed. There is no service for adults in Laois. Only one dentist operates under the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS. I have a list that we rang around earlier in the week to see if we could get anyone. We have been at this for weeks to see if we could get dentists to take it. Only one is dealing with existing patients and none will take new patients. Sixteen have resigned in Laois-Offaly in the past 12 months; eight since March. The dental scheme is not being resourced and the system has collapsed. There is no DTSS in County Laois for medical card holders at the moment. Separately, there is no dental scheme-----

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