Cairns Dental Patients All Smiles As Waiting Times Fall

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Dental patients in Cairns have something to smile about, as waiting times for dental care have fallen.

A new government-backed voucher scheme has helped to reduce waiting lists at public dental clinics in the area. The scheme enables private dentists to treat public dental patients and so far, almost $500,000 worth of private dental treatment has been claimed by public patients in the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service region since the beginning of February.

In February when the scheme launched there were around 62,500 patients awaiting treatment and this figure has fallen dramatically to 13,722 in September.

Lawrence Springborg, health minister, said that the success of the voucher scheme had made him even more determined to strengthen the bonds between private and public sectors and to use this to benefit many more people in the future.

Mr Springborg said that the scheme enables patients to receive first class standards of care without having to wait for several months; it also gives patients more choice.

He believes that the scheme will put Queensland on the map for dental care and other states may follow suit when they see the positive impact the programme has had on waiting lists.

The scheme was introduced to boost the profile of private dental practices and reduce waiting times, as most patients were found to be visiting the James Cook University dental clinic, which can treat up to 250 patients per day.

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