"Unethical"Medical Card Dental Scheme criticised
Thousands of Leitrim medical card holders will be effected by the new "unethical" Medical Card Dental Scheme which came into effect at the end of April.
Carrick-on-Shannon based dentist Dr Peter Doyle has joined with the Irish Dental Association in denouncing the decision by the HSE to dismantle the Medical Card Dental Scheme and to reduce it to one that reflects "the dark ages" and only provides limited emergency cover for card holders.
Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, Dr Peter Doyle called the new scheme "unethical" and demanded the Minister for Health Mary Harney to direct the HSE to recall the new scheme and to engage with the IDA immediately.
The decision to restrict the scheme to one which provides limited emergency cover means that up to 1.6 million people nationwide who are covered by the scheme will be denied a range of routine treatments including fillings and extractions as well as denture and treatment of gum disease.
According to the HSE's own figures that means 29,300 card holders in counties Leitrim and Sligo will be directly affected by the cuts. Dr Doyle said there are a large number of people in Leitrim on medical cards, at least half of his patients in Carrick-on-Shannon use medical cards.
In a circular to dentists on April 29, the HSE said it would only provide emergency dental care to eligible patients with a focus on relief of pain and sepsis. It said additional care would only be considered in exceptional or high risk cases.
Dr Doyle said "the crazy cuts" will hit the most vulnerable in our society the hardest, "causing them unnecessary pain and suffering as well as setting back the dental health of the nation by decades." He said many people on medical cards "just do not have the money for dental treatment." The IDA said that the cuts did not make any financial sense as every case of delayed treatment would require hugely expensive treatment in future years. The latest cutbacks will rank high on the agenda of the annual conference of the IDA which is taking place in Galway later this week (May, 13 -15).
Dr Peter Doyle who employs two hygenists and three dentists in Carrick, said dentists did not accept the legitimacy of the circular which he said formalised the creation of a "two tier" system between private and public patients.
He said the HSE "have basically decided to rip the scheme asunder and turn an open, cost efficient system into an extremely limited one which will only cater for people in certain emergency situations. IDA members are being asked to provide inadequate and inappropriate treatments for patients and it just won't work."
Dr Doyle told the paper that the guidelines from the HSE are "vague" and do not explain what dental "emergency" they accept.
One case study of the new HSE dental guidelines suggests if a medical card patient presents to their dentist from April 29th 2010 following an accident involving the fracture of two or more teeth, under the 'HSE emergency scheme' the dentist is precluded from providing immediate pain relief for more than one of the teeth even if the nerves are exposed in additional teeth.
However the HSE gives an assurance that they will endeavour to approve treatment for the other teeth within two weeks of application for approval by the patient's dentist.
Dr Doyle said the above scenario is "ridiculous" and "disheartening", he said he will not be able to turn away a loyal client just because "they do not tick the right box."
He said the IDA are hoping to bring an injunction against the scheme and he said he hopes people go to their local politicians in an effort to reverse this scheme.
According to the IDA there has been an increase of 138,000 medical card holders in the last two years while this year 144,000 more people will join the scheme.
The IDA believes it is grossly irresponsible of the HSE to cut spending back to 2008 levels with hundreds of thousands more people now holding medical cards and argues that spending should be increased by p30m to p100m to cope with the increased demands on the system.
At Monday's Council meeting in Kiltyclogher, Cllr Sinead Guckian put forward a notice of motion calling on the Minister for Health to reverse the decision to suspend periodontal treatment for medical card holders.
She also called for the Minister to engage in talks with the Irish Dental Association to "find a workable solution to the current financial restraints."
"The letter issued on April 29th to Dentists has been devastating for patients on medical cards," pointed out Cllr Guckian.
"In basic terms it means that people will be denied basic treatment and in the long run it doesn't make financial sense as it will lead to people having to undergo more costly, more complicated treatment, treatment they could have avoided if periodontal treatment was still available."
Noting that a recent UK study had shown a direct link between gum disease and cancer rates, Cllr Guckian said it seemed incredible the decision had been made to suspend treatment and she said it was vital the Minister reinstate the scheme.
Her fellow councillors gave their unanimous support to the motion.
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Weather for Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
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