Local public dental patients are being forced to wait more than 18 months for basic care, a figure well above the Victorian state average of 13.5 months.
Local MP Tim Bull has lashed out at the prolonged delays, attributing the growing waitlist to “blatant mismanagement” of the public health system and a flawed voucher scheme that places an unfair burden on private practices.
According to Mr Bull, patients who finally reach the top of the public waitlist are frequently handed a voucher and redirected to a private clinic because the public sector lacks the capacity to treat them.
However, he says this stop-gap measure is failing to deliver timely care.
“Private practices are often unable to complete the work due to booking capacity, or the vouchers having such short treatment timelines they’re expiring by the time they can complete the work,” Mr Bull said.
The local MP highlighted that even when private providers have the availability to take on public patients, many are understandably hesitant to accept the vouchers due to severe delays in state government reimbursements, which he claimed can take up to eight months to be paid in full.
“Private practices simply cannot be expected to carry that cost for such an extended period,” he said.
“This is a failure of the public system.”
Mr Bull praised the “outstanding work” of local private dentists who continue to support their communities, but stressed they should not be expected to carry the weight of the public dental service.
“It is not up to private practices to do the heavy lifting for a system the Labor Government has mismanaged,” he said.
Taking aim at the State Government, Mr Bull said Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas has been aware of the sector’s workforce shortages and systemic flaws for years.
“The Minister knows about these issues as I have raised them many times in Parliament. She has simply failed to act,” Mr Bull said.
“The Government has had years to address workforce shortages and has failed to put any practical strategies in place.”
