Boost for Ballarat dental services
The Australian Budget did not bring good news for dental health; however, there was a boost for dental services in Ballarat.
Treasurer Wayne Swan announced that $19.4 million will be committed to Ballarat; the money will be used to expand and renovate the Ballarat Services’ Dental Clinic and build a new healthcare centre for Ballarat Community Health.
At the moment, there is a 29 month waiting list for dental treatment and health chiefs hope that this will be halved once the expansion has been completed. Once the clinic has been extended, it will have twenty dental chairs, ten of which will provide training facilities for dental students and oral health therapists.
Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King said that the region had benefited from the Budget, which she described as “tough but fair”; she said that the new dental facility will have a significant impact on the local community.
Andrew Rowe, chief executive officer of Ballarat Health Services, said that the money will enable the dental clinic to move to a permanent site.
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