Written answers
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
Department of Health
Dental Services
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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519. To ask the Minister for Health if dental patients on medical cards can access the National Treatment Purchase Fund to have pressing procedures undertaken; the waiting list time in the HSE schools programme for children under 16 years of age awaiting approved braces or HSE dental procedures; and if a breakdown of the procedure is unavailable, the timeline for these procedures to take place in view of the Covid-19 restrictions by county on waiting list numbers. [13406/20]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) works with public hospitals, as opposed to with patients directly, to offer and provide the funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery in an acute hospital, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic.
While the NTPF identifies patients eligible for NTPF treatment, it is solely on the basis of their time spent on the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List of an acute public hospital. The clinical suitability of the patient to avail of NTPF funded treatment is determined by the public hospital.
As the waiting list times for the HSE schools programme for children is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
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