The number of Gold Coasters stuck on the public dental waiting list has been revealed, and there’s been a staggering jump.
New figures show that since 2015, the Gold Coast has seen the biggest increase in the whole state at 178%.
More than 11,300 locals are now on the public wait list for treatment, up from 4,072 people.
The statistics have been slammed by the state opposition, with Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates labelling the system a failure.
“We all know how painful a toothache can be and for these Queenslanders, the waitlist only makes matters worse,” Ms Bates says.
“While the embattled Health Minister blames COVID and patients for the hospital’s crisis, it’s clear this rot set in well before the pandemic,
“The Queensland Health Crisis isn’t just in our hospitals, but the dentist chair too.”
Across the whole state, there are currently over 148,000 people on the public waitlist, an increase of 33,619 since 2015, or 29%.
The South West recorded a 138% increase, while areas such as Cairns, Darling Downs and the Sunshine Coast all recorded jumps of over 60% since 2015.
Meanwhile Mackay, Townsville, Wide Bay and Metro South all had significant drops, seeing fewer people on the waiting list for public dental.
State Opposition Leader David Crisfaulli says that a 29% increase across Queensland is “troubling”.
“Dental health is so important and we’ve spoken to Queenslanders who are in immense pain, it’s impacting their ability to sleep and live a normal life,”
“These blowouts are deeply troubling for everyone who wants to see a world-class health system for this state.”
