SOCIALIZED DENTISTRY A JOKE

In the Australian State of Victoria

On April 13, 1999, a Victorian went onto a waiting list to see a dentist in the public system. Last Christmas, that person was still waiting. Waiting times for an appointment to see a dentist have grown steadily in recent years with an average waiting time of 30.98 months at the end of December 2004, according to a document supplied to The Age. The person waiting the longest, as of a few weeks ago, was the April 13 patient who has been waiting for an appointment for almost six years.

Denture delays are longer, with an average 34.6-month wait, also up from the end of last financial year. The longest denture wait at the end of 2004 was for a person whoser name went on the list on June 22, 1999.

Opposition health spokesman David Davis said the waiting times were ludicrous. He called on the Government to urgently fix the problem. "Nobody should be waiting for dental treatment after all those years; it is simply cruel," Mr Davis said. "Dental pain can be one of the most excruciating and debilitating health problems. Poor dental health impacts directly on to general health . . . Scrimping on dental care will lead to more patients lining up at our public hospitals." Mr Davis said Victoria spent less per head on public dental care than other major states. "Steve Bracks should have properly funded dental services, instead of letting them run down to crisis point. He certainly has not played the tooth fairy for those waiting for treatment since early 1999," he said. Mr Davis also criticised the Government for removing details of waiting times at the state's 61 dental clinics from a Government website in mid-2003.

Figures obtained by The Age under freedom of information laws showed that at October 31, 2004, there were waits of more than five years in Warrnambool and Portland for a dental appointment. In almost half the rural clinics the wait was more than three years. Denture waits were more than five years in Springvale, Portland and Warrnambool, and patients faced a four-year-plus wait in six rural and nine metropolitan clinics.

At the November 2002 state election, the Government pledged to cut dental waiting times, saying: "Oral health is vital to social wellbeing, self-esteem and sound nutrition. Expanding these services and improving access will continue to be a priority for our next term of government."

More here

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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