NEARLY 150,000 Queenslanders are stuck on the public dental wait list, in another sign the Queensland Health Crisis is biting patients hard.
The new Queensland Health statistics have been slammed by Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates who said it’s shameful.
“The public dental waitlist has skyrocketed by 29% in six years,” Ms Bates said.
“This is just another example of the State Government failing to properly plan for Queenslanders.
“We all know how painful a toothache can be and for these Queenslanders, the waitlist only makes matters worse.
“While the embattled Health Minister blames COVID and patients for the hospitals crisis, it’s clear this rot set in well before the pandemic.
“In 2016, Queensland Health treated 346,502 dental patients.
“In every year since then, they’ve haven’t come close to reaching that figure.
“This means few Queenslanders aren’t getting their teeth checked every year.
“That can cause even more long term problems for patients and the public health system.
“After three terms in power, the State Government can no longer deliver basic services for Queenslanders.
“Under Labor, elective surgery wait lists have soared, emergency departments are bursting at the seams, ambulance ramping is the worst in the country and now Queenslanders can’t see a dentist in a timely way.
“The Queensland Health Crisis isn’t just in our hospitals, but the dentist chair too.”