WAITING LIST BLITZ TO GIVE VICTORIANS THE DENTAL CARE THEY NEED
Tuesday, 7 August 2018
WAITING LIST BLITZ TO GIVE VICTORIANS THE DENTAL CARE THEY NEED
The Andrews Labor Government is taking action to slash dental waiting lists that have swelled because of Malcolm Turnbull’s funding cuts.
Malcolm Turnbull and the Federal Liberals have cut public dental funding by 30 per cent – leaving 8675 people on waiting lists in Gippsland at an average wait time of 20.6 months.
| Agency | LGA | Average Wait Time (mths) for Offers of Care June 2017 –May 2018 | No. People on Wait List as at end May 2018 |
| Bairnsdale Regional Health Service | East Gippsland (S) | 19.9 | 1,393 |
| Central Gippsland Health Service | Wellington (S) | 27.0 | 1,559 |
| Orbost Regional Health | East Gippsland (S) | 7.5 | 149 |
| Latrobe Community Health Service | Latrobe (C) | 25.4 | 4,288 |
| Omeo District Health | East Gippsland (S) | 64 | |
| Bass Coast Health | Bass Coast (S) | 23.2 | 1,222 |
| Gippsland & East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative | East Gippsland (S) | 0.0 | 0 |
| Gippsland Region | 20.6 | 8,675 | |
The Labor Government is rolling out a $12.1 million waiting list blitz to drive down delays for dental treatment, which will ensure our dental services will have the resources they need to begin treating more than 18,300 people currently on a waiting list.
The Liberals’ cuts, coupled with our growing population, means waiting lists have blown out to more than 19 months for general care and 17 months for denture care.
While the Labor Government is fast-tracking people with urgent needs to the front of the queue to avoid them being put on the waiting list, the Liberals’ cuts have meant more than 140,000 people are waiting for public dental care.
Dental conditions are the top cause of avoidable hospital admission for kids under ten, and the third highest for all age groups. In 2015/16, more than 5,500 kids had to have a general anaesthetic for preventable dental conditions.
The Labor Government’s package also includes:
- $760,000 for fluoride varnish for kids in disadvantaged communities
- $600,000 to train dental clinics with alternative sedations to general anaesthetics
- $720,000 for oral care education
Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals’ cuts to dental funding are yet more proof you can’t trust them when it comes to health care – all they do is cut.
Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing
“We’re working really hard to reduce the devastating impact of federal cuts to dental funding, and to drive down dental care waiting lists right across the region.”
“Victorians deserve proper access to dental treatment no matter where they live, but Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition’s cuts have left our dental system in decay – and unless the federal government steps up, people will continue waiting too long for important treatment or missing out altogether.”