Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very important motion. As was said, and the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach knows this, for the past number of years we have been highlighting and giving examples of the collapse of the dental care system for medical card holders in Mayo. I am currently dealing with an 80-year-old woman. Two years ago her dentist told her they were no longer taking medical card patients. She had to go somewhere else. For two years she has been trying to find a dentist to take her. The HSE recently confirmed to me there are no dentists taking new patients on medical cards. The best the HSE could do anywhere in Mayo is a waiting list. The 80-year-old woman is from Achill Island. She has been left waiting and hoping for a cancellation. She asks me what is happening. What do I tell her? Now I have to go back and tell her there is an embargo by the Minister on recruitment of staff by the HSE. You could not make it up. I do not know what to tell her. The truth is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have facilitated the collapse of our dental service system for elderly people, for 100,000 children, and for the least well-off in our county and in our country. It is devastating. I am absolutely sick and tired of bringing this issue to the floor of the Dáil and nothing being done about it. I have another case of a 72-year-old.

We are in a situation where we have a Taoiseach who has been Minister for Health and Minister for further and higher education and yet he does not get it with regard to what is happening in the constituencies. We have a surplus of €8.6 billion and we cannot provide a dental service for elderly people, for children and for people who are least well off. It is not good enough and something has to change. This is why people have lost faith in this Government and this is why we need a change of Government, because this Government will not do anything about it.

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