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The Irish Dental Association has warned that Medical Card patients are facing waiting lists for dental treatment for the first time in the history of the State as a result of the cap on spending for medical card patients seeking dental treatment in yesterday's budget.
The Association also warned that the budget had effectively killed off the PRSI scheme for dental benefits for people at work despite the fact that millions of people have been paying the State every week for this 'insurance' for years.
Speaking today, the Chief Executive of the Irish Dental Association, Fintan Hourihan, said that the budget would decimate the dental profession; "for dentists and dental patients, this budget is an unmitigated disaster and my members are extremely angry and disappointed; payments to support Medical Card treatments are being slashed by 35% and PRSI scheme payments to dentists will be down a massive 80%."
Hourihan warned that as a result of the budget double whammy, recent improvements in dental health will soon be reversed. In addition, he warned that there will undoubtedly be job losses in dental practices. Hourihan also said that the cuts would undo millions of euro of investment by the State in dentistry; "the State has paid millions of euro to raise standards of oral health and to educate a generation of some of Europe's most skilled dentists and now they're forcing them to leave this country and work abroad."
Finally, Hourihan warned that the Exchequer was unlikely to realise the savings anticipated; "a new economic study shows that through removal of subsidised and free treatments the Government and patients will now end up paying 3euro for every 1euro currently spent on the PRSI scheme. On top of that, lost Revenue income, redundancy costs, increased hospital care for dental treatments and incidence of oral cancer will add to the long-term bill for this mistake."
Hourihan confirmed that the Association will seek an urgent meeting with Ministers Harney and Hanafin to discuss the matter.
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