DENTISTS WHOSE practices are heavily dependent on State-funded treatments face closure before the end of the year, the High Court was told yesterday.
Ms Justice Mary Irvine is to decide next week if the court will restrain the HSE from applying major cutbacks to the Dental Treatment Services Scheme which provides free dental treatment for medical card holders.
Fifty-six dentists are suing the HSE for breach of contract. Eileen Barrington, for the dentists, told the judge 25 of them, who claim they will be forced out of business, are seeking interlocutory injunctions. Dentists Martin Reed and Dr James Turner have already been granted injunctions and their case will be heard in December. Mark Connaughton SC, for the HSE, said while it was regrettable some dentists may be forced out of business between now and the December trial, their losses were capable of being measured in damages. He said no interlocutory restraints were required.
Timothy Lynch, a dentist from Killorglin, Co Kerry, told the court in an affidavit on behalf of all of the dentists that some faced significant staff pay-offs, closure, retirement or emigration.
Patrick Burke, of the HSE’s primary care reimbursement service, said it was likely hundreds of further applications could be made by the 1,400 plus dentists participating in the scheme.
The dentists involved in the proceedings are (followed by amounts earned from the scheme and its percentage of their earnings): Dr Jacqueline Clune, Co Kilkenny, €169,000 (90 per cent); Dr Joseph Kilroy, north Dublin, €173,000 (82 per cent); Dr Frank Lucey, Kerry, €268,000 (81 per cent); Dr David O’Connor, Donegal, €255,000 (75 per cent); Dr Thomas Corkery, Dublin, €495,000, (70 per cent); Dr Mary Gannon, Longford, €267,000 (70 per cent); Dr John Sheehan, Co Clare, €212,000 (70 per cent); Dr Christina Taut, Co Louth, €27,000, (65 per cent); Dr Brian O’Leary, Co Wexford, €155,000 (65 per cent); Dr Katie O’Connor, Co Kerry, €189,000 (65 per cent); Dr Anne Twomey, Cork city, €175,000 (60 per cent); Dr Howard Gross, Co Dublin, €90,000 (64 per cent); Dr Piotr Bielicki, Co Westmeath, €160,000 (55 per cent); Dr Donald Daly, Co Tipperary, €148,000 (60 per cent.); Dr Ronan Cuddihy, Co Wexford, €311,000 (60 per cent); Dr Catherine Skelly, Co Galway, €302,000 (60 per cent); Dr John Sullivan, Co Carlow, €368,000 (60 per cent); Dr Pavlina Fagan, Co Dublin, €70,000 (60 per cent); Dr Patrick Maguire, Co Wexford, €146,000 (60 per cent); Dr John Heaney, Co Dublin, €226,000 (55 per cent); Dr Catherine Barry, Co Offaly, €145,000 (55 per cent); Dr Corinne Dwyer, Co Tipperary, €205,000 (54 per cent); Dr Deirdre Toomey, Co Limerick, €275,000 (52 per cent); Dr Thomas Sheridan, Co Dublin, €82,000 (54 per cent); Dr Judy O’Meara, Co Clare, €108,000 (n/a); Dr Frank Rowe, Co Wexford, €156,000 (50 per cent); Dr Thomas Guinan, Co Limerick, €252,000 (50 per cent); Dr Paddy McKibben, Donegal, €244,000 (47 per cent); Dr Rory Linehan, Co Tipperary, €359,000 (47 per cent); Dr Fiona Twohig, Co Cork, €90,000 (45 per cent); Dr Aidan Higgins, Co Limerick, €106,000 (45 per cent); Dr John Hennessy, Co Limerick, €153,000 (44 per cent); Dr Miles Levine, Co Dublin, €86,000 (43 per cent); Dr Shane Byrne, Co Louth, €115,000 (41 per cent); Dr Thomas Twomey, Co Kerry, €142,000 (41 per cent); Dr Gerard Reynolds, Co Dublin, €167,000 (40 per cent); Dr Denis Nolan, Co Cork, €203,000 (40 per cent); Dr Clair Kilgarriff, Dublin, €338,000 (40 per cent); Dr Bryan Heffernan, Co Cork, €164,000 (36 per cent); Dr Tom O’Connor, Co Dublin, €211,000 (35 per cent); Dr Liam Tuohy, Co Tipperary, €178,000 (34 per cent); Dr Niamh Morris, Wexford, €65,000, (34 per cent); Dr Michael Crowley, Co Cork, €101,000 (33 per cent); Dr Tom McCarthy, Co Cork, €29,000 (30 per cent); Dr Nuala Cagney, Co Cork, €139,000 (30 per cent); Dr Derek Riordan, Co Cork, €181,000 (31 per cent); Dr Ken O’Connell, Co Cork, €116,000 (30 per cent); Dr Robert Gilbourne, Co Dublin, €150,000, (30 per cent); Dr Peter McKenna, Co Meath, €342,000 (n/a); Dr Elaine Grahame, Co Louth, €96,000 (40 per cent); Dr Fergal Begley, Co Louth, €144,000 (35 per cent); Dr Brid Cantwell, Co Waterford, €108,000 (68 per cent); Dr Tony Walsh, Navan, Co Meath, €298,000 (n/a); Dr Michael O’Sullivan, Co Tipperary, €127,000 (50 per cent) and Dr Christopher Scott, Co Offaly, €252,000 (30 per cent).