35 per cent drop in spending on medical card dental care across Galway

Galway Bay fm newsroom - There's been a drop of 35 per cent in state spending on dental care for medical card patients across Galway.

That's according to figures from the Irish Dental Association, which warns the medical card scheme is in "complete chaos".

It says between 2017 and 2020, spending in Galway plummeted by over a million euro, from €3.3m to €2.1m.

Meanwhile, the IDA says the number of DTSS contracts held by dentists in Galway also fell by 25 percent, from 160 to 120.

DTSS contracts provides access to limited dental treatment for adult medical card holders.

Irish Dental Association Chief Executive, Fintan Hourihan says the situation for these patients is at crisis point - to hear more, tune in to Galway Bay fm news on the hour...