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Vic Govt 'too slow' on bush dentistry
3 Feb 2004
The head of Melbourne University's dentistry school has criticised the Victorian Government for being too slow to act on a plan to relieve the dentist shortage in country areas. Professor Eric Reynolds said he proposed a plan six years ago for final-year dentistry students to attend a rural campus in Shepparton. Medical students now do a six-week rotation at the campus, designed to attract health professionals to work outside the city. Professor Reynolds said the scheme hasn't yet happened in dentistry. He wants six to 12 dentistry positions at Shepparton.
Professor Dawn Dewitt, Melbourne University's dean of the rural clinical school at Shepparton, described the state of rural dentistry as a "disaster".
Meanwhile, dentists at rural clinics say their patients are on waiting lists for several months. One Swan Hill dentist said that even with a boosted salary it's difficult to recruit staff to work in the country.
The Age, 3/2/04.
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