DENTAL SERVICE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20639, 20 August 1941, Page 9

DENTAL SERVICE

FREE TO CHILDREN REMISSION OF CHARGES GRANTS TO COMMITTEES (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Further proposals in connection with the dental clinic system, which would have the effect of making the service free to children, were announced by the Minister of Health, the Hen. A. H. Nordmeyer, this morning. The Minister explained that the Budget reference to the abolition of the £3O-per-annum charge in respect j of each nurse employed related to the j charge which had been imposed during ‘ the depression and continued subsequently, and which had to be found j by the dental clinic committees. I As the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, had indicated in the Budget, this amount would now be remitted, and the Cabinet had decided that the remission would take effect as from July 1 of this year. Grant of £25 a Year The Minister .said that, in addition to the foregoing, the Government had now decided to make a further grant to dental clinic committees of an amount not exceeding £25 per annum for each school dental nurse employed. This sum is meant to cover the cost of cleaning, disinfection, lighting and heating of all rooms and offices of the school dental clinics and laundering and rent, where payable. The Government would also accept responsibility for transport expenses incurred by school dental nux’ses in travelling and transferring equipment between central clinics and those which are not worked on a full-time basis. There might still be some isolated cases where the expenses amounted to more than the £25 per annum now proposed to be paid by the Government for each nurse, but this would represent such a small cost that it might easily be raised by the committee locally. Abolition of Charge It had now been decided that the power, to make an annual charge for the treating of children conferred on the dental clinic committees in 1932 would be abolished. The Minister added that it must be clearly understood that, so far as arrears of payment were concerned, these were still payable, and every effort should be made by the clinic committees to meet their outstanding obligations to the department up to June. The Government would not be agreeable to remitting these charges, as it was felt that this would be unfair to those committees which had made strenuous efforts to meet their obligations.