BY MARK McKELVEY
Despite claims from the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey this week that there are currently ten dentists in Omagh and five in Strabane registered to accept NHS patients, a few phone calls soon proved it is almost impossible to receive this treatment in either town.
When ringing around the various dentists on the supposed NHS list, the answer was always the same, "Sorry we do not have room for NHS patients and it is unlikely that we will in the near future".
Confounding that it seems impossible to find an NHS dentist vacancy in West Tyrone, one receptionist actually giggled when asked did they have room. Continuing to say, "Here is the number of the Western Health Board, they might be able to help," followed by another giggle that implied, "you should be so lucky".
One Omagh dental practice that the Minister claimed has accepted 160 NHS patients during 2007/08, said when telephoned that they hadn't accepted NHS patients for 18 months. The Minister also claimed that a Strabane practice has treated 1,857 NHS patients during this time, but when called they said they are full.
The Health Minister had responded to a question tabled by West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty requesting details of dental practises in the Omagh and Strabane areas who are prepared to take on new NHS patients.
Although he admitted that he is aware that there is at present, a lack of dental practices in the Omagh and Strabane areas willing to actively accept new Health Service patients to their practice lists. Mr McGimpsey said his Department was unable to detail exactly what practices in these areas are willing to accept new health service patients as this information can change daily.
He said, "Currently there are ten dental practices in Omagh and five in Strabane who are all registered on the dental list of the Central Services Agency (CSA) to facilitate the undertaking of health service dentistry. The decision as to whether a dentist is willing to accept or discontinue health service work is a matter for the insdividual dentist, who is free to decide to increase or decrease the numbers of health service patients he or she is prepared to take at any given time.
"Dental practices in Omagh and Strabane are under no obligation to inform the Western Health Board of which patients they are treating under the Health Service or under a private contract."
Adding his voice to the growing lobby for proper dental provision in the area, Strabane District Sinn Féin Councillor, Brian McMahon expressed his concerns that not one of the 15 listed Omagh and Strabane dentists currently accept NHS patients
"All of the practises made the excuse that their books were either full or presently closed to new NHS patients and that these would not re-open for the foreseeable future," said Cllr McMahon.
"It is a case of 'No room at the Inn'. The only glimpse of light was one dental surgery in Strabane who said that their books would re open in July, at the earliest."
"This is an appalling set of circumstances where people from the most socially deprived sections of our community are denied the right to adequate dental care. The Minister must really get his act together and urgently recruit more dentists into the NHS. This is an issue which we, as elected representatives, will keep pursuing with the Minister and the Western Health Board with the utmost of vigour.
"Will the minister provide a definitive list of dental practices in Omagh and Strabane who accept new NHS patients without requiring them to pay fees?"
