FEDERAL member for Kennedy Bob Katter says the government is “failing miserably” in dental care as he told of “horror stories” in remote and regional areas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Katter has pleaded with the government to invest significant funding in dental care in rural and regional Australia, following reports from desperate North Queenslanders, some who have been forced to pull their own teeth out with pliers.
“The primary responsibility of government is to protect people, and we are failing miserably in dental care,” Mr Katter said.
Mr Katter has addressed the Parliament on the Dental Benefit Legislation Amendment Bill 2013, which relates to audit and debt procedures, under previous and current dental laws.
“This is a sad day indeed for Australia, where we are wasting the time of Parliament talking about audit requirements,’’ he said.
“We should be focusing on the fact that in this great wealthy country, there are people that are being forced to rely on the most primitive methods of medical treatment and with no painkillers or any dental assistance to remove their own teeth.
“In a round of community meetings, a bloke in Babinda said he had waited for two years in agonising pain on the dental waiting list. He eventually pulled the tooth out himself with a pair of pliers. Similarly in Richmond, another person pulled his teeth out with a pair of pliers.
“Now this is simply outrageous in a country as rich and as great as Australia.”
Mr Katter told the Parliament there was an urgent and desperate need for dentists and dental health workers in rural and regional Australia, particularly in his homeland. “I have lived in Mid-West Queensland my entire life and five generations before me,’’ he said.
‘‘The four main towns are Cloncurry, Richmond, Julia Creek and Hughenden and there would be close to 10,000 people living in this area.
“Over the last decade we have seen a significant reduction in dentists in the region, with people from these towns being forced to drive to Mount Isa, Townsville or Charters Towers.’’