|
|
The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
|
a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
|
|
|
|
|
August 2005 |
|||
|
|
||||
The worst teethIn May, Synod passed a motion asking the Bishop to publicly support advocacy regarding the dire state of the public dental service.The motion was put by the Rev. Chris Jones, CEO of Anglicare Tasmania. 'Tasmanians have the worst teeth in the nation,' said the Rev. Jones. 'The public dental service is overwhelmed by demand and so short staffed that it can only really respond to emergencies. General dental care is out of the question. Waiting lists are out of control. 'Anglicare recently held an exhibition of photographs of the teeth of people on the waiting list. The photographs were sickening, yet they show what people have to live with, day after day. 'Two of the main issues are the lengthy waiting lists and the co-payments required of patients. We are seeing situations where a person finally reaches the top of the waiting list, after enduring years of discomfort, finds that they cannot afford the fee, misses out on their appointment and is returned to the bottom of the list. 'The co-payment penalises low income earners and should be abolished. Substantial investment is required so that the system can recruit more dentists, make the capital investment required and tackle the waiting lists. 'A smile is not a user-pays commodity.'
|
|
|||
