‘Shocking’ - Hundreds of people waiting for orthodontic treatment in Waterford
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane has revealed the number of patients in Waterford who are waiting for orthodontic treatment
Hundreds of people are waiting for orthodontic treatment in Waterford, new figures have revealed.
A response to a Parliamentary Question from Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane shows that 608 patients in Waterford were waiting for orthodontic treatment at the end of September.
Of those, 162 have been waiting for more than four years, while a further 198 have been waiting between two and four years.
The longest outstanding wait dates all the way back to May 2019.
Deputy Cullinane described these new figures as “completely unacceptable”, saying the orthodontic system across the South East has been in crisis for years.
He stated: “The most shocking figure here is that 162 children and young people in Waterford have been left waiting more than four years for orthodontic treatment.
“That is an extraordinary length of time in the life of a child. These are children who have been assessed as needing treatment but are being left waiting year after year because the capacity simply is not there.
“The longest wait in Waterford goes all the way back to May 2019. No child should be left waiting seven years for orthodontic treatment.”
Deputy Cullinane outlined the problems that exist in the orthodontic system locally.
“The system in the South East has been in crisis for years. This is not a new problem and it has not come out of nowhere.
“We have repeatedly seen huge waiting lists, unacceptable delays and families left frustrated by a service that does not have the staffing or capacity it needs.
“Almost 60 per cent of those currently waiting for treatment in Waterford have already been waiting for more than two years. More than one in four have been waiting for over four years.
“There are also another 91 patients waiting even to be assessed, with the longest assessment wait standing at four months.”
He said that the Minister for Health must set out a specific plan to address orthodontic waiting lists in Waterford and across the South East.
“We cannot continue to accept a situation where children spend such a significant part of their childhood on a waiting list.
“The Minister needs to urgently increase orthodontic capacity in the South East, address staffing shortages and put in place a targeted plan for the children who have already been waiting three, four, five years and longer.
“These children cannot simply be allowed to remain at the back of a queue that barely moves.”
Deputy Cullinane concluded by saying that the Government has been aware of the pressures facing orthodontic services for years.
He added that it has shown no urgency or given no investment to deal with the issue.