40,000 in Indi to benefit under Rudd dental scheme

Figures provided by the Federal Department of Human Services show that nearly 40,000 health card holders in Indi will benefit from the reintroduction of the Commonwealth public dental scheme.

The scheme, axed by the Howard Government in 1996, ensured that waiting lists for public dental services in Indi were virtually non existent. This encouraged health card holders to access dental services.

With the axing of the Commonwealth scheme by the Howard Government, waiting lists in Indi blew out almost immediately.

Recently, the Howard Government introduced Medicare cover for dental services. To access this scheme, patients have to be suffering from a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer and be referred to a dentist for treatment by their doctor. Treatment can only be accessed every two years.

“The contrast between the two schemes is obvious,” Zuvele Leschen, the ALP candidate for Indi, said. “Under the Rudd scheme, nearly 40,000 residents of Indi – and their dependants - will be eligible for Government subsidized dental treatment on a regular basis. Under the Howard Government’s scheme, access will be available to only a very few.”