Just one Leitrim dentists accepting medical cards

There is currently only one dentist in Leitrim signed up to the Dental Treatment Services Scheme, which provides dental care to medical card patients. Sinn Féin Cllr Brendan Barry was supported by Ballinamore councillors in his request to write to the Minister for Health and the HSE asking them to urgently change the Dental Treatment Services Scheme conditions - so that more dentists remain in and re-join the scheme.

Cllr Barry said dentists have been exiting the scheme in large numbers in recent years. He said medical card holders have very little options available to them and because just one dentist accepts medical cards - waiting lists are long. He noted that there are only three dentists in the scheme in Sligo and 2-3 in Longford.

He said the HSE did recently make some changes to the scheme but “they are not having any impact.” He said some dentists are in the scheme “out of social duty” and it is leaving them worse off. Fees payable to dentists in the scheme were increased in April this year by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and it was hoped this would entice more dentists back into the scheme but Cllr Barry noted that it has not increased numbers locally. Cllr Barry argued that if there were only 2-3 doctors in the county accepting medical cards it wouldn't be accepted and it should be the same for dentists.
He put forward that dental care is basic health care and everyone should have access to it.
He called the Dental Treatment Services Scheme “totally flawed.”

There was cross-party support for his motion at the Ballinamore Municipal District meeting on Monday, November 28.
The Leitrim County Council administrator said they could write to the Department of Health but had been recently informed by the HSE that they are no longer accepting correspondence from municipal districts and local authorities and that all issues can be raised through Leitrim's representatives on the Public Health Forum.

This means that any correspondence sent to the HSE from the local authorities will not be responded to.
Free services available to medical card holders include a dental examination, teeth cleaning, extractions and two fillings each calendar year.