Federal Health Minister to Reveal New Dental Reform Plans in Australia
Federal health minister Sussan Ley revealed plans for dental reform in Australia at the weekend.
Speaking on Sunday 10th May, Ms Ley announced plans to shake-up the system in order to allow Australian dental patients the opportunity to access “seamless” dental services.
The government, lead by Tony Abbott, has confirmed that it will add dental reform to the agenda for 2015/2016 to improve access to services and iron out inequalities. It is believed that $200 million worth of funding will be made available in the coming budget, which will be announced on Tuesday 12th May. Reform work will be undertaken over the coming 12 months.
Talking about reform plans, Ms Ley said that she believes the new documents contain measures and initiatives that will enable the government to work with dentists, state ministers and commonwealth representatives to bring patients better dental services and create a more cohesive and collaborative approach.
Ms Ley said that it was incredibly important for both oral and general health to ensure that people have access to services and the information and awareness they need to prevent dental health issues such as gum disease and decay. Improving services will also help to cut government spending on oral health in the future, as fewer people will require complex courses of treatment.
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