320 patients benefit from government initiative with private dental clinics

Government initiatives with private partners in the health sector were resulting in shorter waiting lists for Maltese and Gozitan patients, according to health minister Chris Fearne.

The minister, who was addressing a press conference on Friday at a private dental clinic in Zejtun, said that 320 patients on public waiting lists had undergone teeth-filling in private clinics in the past few weeks, following the introduction of a new scheme, which saw the government paying for such procedures.

Three clinics in Zejtun, San Gwann and Birkirkara had so far signed up to the scheme.

Fearne said that the government was anticipating that 2,000 similar procedures will be carried out in private clinics under this scheme, clearing the list of patients waiting to undergo the procedure at Mater Dei hospital.

Dental health waiting lists had been growing longer ever since the previous administration had stopped regional health centres offering similar services, the minister said.

He said the government had worked with the University of Malta on another scheme that resulted in the introduction of a mobile dental clinic that toured towns and villages, offering free dental checkups.