* Queensland’s dental waitlist blowout worsens
* 162,000 Queenslanders desperate for an appointment
The shocking state of Queensland’s dental wait list has been exposed, with new statistics revealing a disturbing number of people aren’t getting treated.
Queensland Health says 162,133 patients were on the dental wait list last month.
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates says it’s an unacceptable increase of nearly 10,000 people in just four months.
“This Labor government is losing control of Queensland’s dental wait list and now honest Queenslanders have nothing to smile about,” Ms Bates said.
“More people are waiting and more teeth are rotting.
“Every Queenslander deserves to see a dentist without having to wait years to secure an appointment.
“There is a long and sad history of the state government’s inability to deliver basic services.
“When the LNP was last in government, the dental wait list was slashed from 60,000 to zero, thanks largely to a dental voucher system.
“The current wait list is jam-packed and I have zero confidence that the embattled Health Minister has what it takes to bring it under control.
“Under Labor, ambulance ramping is out of control, more patients are left waiting in emergency departments, elective surgery wait lists are growing rapidly and now thousands of Queenslanders can’t see a dentist.
“Queenslanders deserve a world class health system, but under Labor it’s a rotten failure.”