Four state-of-the-art dental suites in Monaghan Primary Health Centre lie virtually empty while the waiting lists for dentists grows. The nationwide HSE recruitment freeze is being blamed for the shortage of dentists in Monaghan.
At present, one dentist operates three days a week out of one of the suites in the health centre located in the HSE's St. Davnet's Complex. Local councillor Paudge Connolly said Monaghan HSE were in the process of hiring two additional dentists when the Health Minister's HSE recruitment embargo kicked in. During a Dáil debate back in March, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, said the embargo was in place because the HSE exceeded its funded workforce targets by 2,200 last year.
Cllr Connolly said three and a half dental suites are going to waste in County Monaghan while children wait on lists for essential dental care: "Locally, two dentists were advertised for, interviewed and were ready to be appointed and then the staff embargo imposed on the HSE meant they weren't fit to put those dentists in place, so the problem continues," Cllr Connolly told Northern Sound, "This is a major issue and now we have to wait for the dental embargo to be lifted to give kids a service and everyone knows the earlier you detect and deal with dental problems, the better the outcomes."
