More than 1200 on Albany general dental waitlist two years on from commitment to deliver clinic upgrade

The opposition has criticised the State Government for not prioritising regional health after a parliamentary question revealed more than 1200 patients are on Albany Dental Clinic’s waiting list despite a pre-election commitment to double its capacity. The question, posed by the Shadow Regional Health Minister Martin Aldridge, was asked in relation to a commitment made in the lead-up to the 2021 election to double the capacity of the Albany Dental Clinic. In answer to a question asking for a status update on the project parliament was told it was “in the procurement phase with the Department of Finance managing the delivery of the project”. “A lead consultant architect has been appointed and the Project Definition Plan is being developed,” Labor Upper House leader Sue Ellery said on behalf of the Health Minister. “Construction timeframes will be determined following the conclusion of the procurement phase.” She also said there were 1267 patients on the general dental waiting list as of March 31, and that the average wait time for those patients to receive non-urgent care was 22.9 months. Ms Ellery said those considered urgent could expect to be offered an appointment within one day if they were at the highest priority, or those requesting urgent care but triaged at a lower priority “may wait two to three weeks for an appointment”. The project has been allocated $10.1 million in the 2023-24 WA Budget, on top of the $346,000 expected to be spent on it by June 30 this year. Mr Aldridge told the Advertiser he welcomed the fact funding had been allocated to the project, but said: “it simply should not have taken this long”. “A Government who prioritises regional health outcomes would have ensured an important project like the Albany Dental Clinic had progressed past the procurement stage in the more than two years since it was first promised,” he said. He said it was “shameful” the wait list for dental services had blown out and the lack of progress on the clinic upgrade was “no isolated incident”. “In 2019, the waiting time for Albany was already too long at 10.3 months, and it has more than doubled since then,” he said. “It’s simply unacceptable in a State as prosperous as WA, which has just posted another multi-billion-dollar budget surplus, that regional health outcomes have not improved. “Without adequate dental care and timely treatment, regional residents are at higher risk of developing oral diseases, which can contribute to other conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”