Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health
Tasmanians on the oral health waiting list are set to benefit from 11 new graduate dentists and therapists as the Tasmanian Liberal Government continues to deliver on our commitment to provide an additional 20,000 dental appointments statewide.
Importantly, the hiring of these graduates as part of the Government's one-off $5 million investment will account for more than half of the additional 20,000 appointments, ensuring that Tasmanians waiting for dental care can access it sooner.
Following a successful recruitment campaign, and through the implementation of a graduate dentist and therapist program, the graduate dentists and therapists began their new roles with the Tasmanian Health Service in January this year and will be working across emergency dental, general dental care, and denture clinics.
Most of the graduates relocate to Tasmania from all over Australia – including Victoria, ACT, Queensland, and Western Australia – and I warmly welcome these young professionals who have set up their lives in Hobart, Launceston and Devonport.
The graduates are taking part in a structured program to develop their clinical skills in a supported environment, with the program also including an academic partnership with the University of Tasmania.
This program is expected to result in reductions to the statewide dental waiting list and it is encouraging to see that the program has already delivered a decrease in the waiting list with 6,692 additional appointments provided as at the end of February 2022, and more than a thousand appointments offered for people on the waiting list during February and March alone.
This investment will ensure that Tasmanians waiting for dental care can access it sooner and supports improving oral health right across Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is committed to promoting good oral health and this investment will ensure Tasmanians waiting for dental care can access it sooner.
