We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
FIANNA FÁIL’S SPOKESPERSON on Children, Robert Troy, said this afternoon it was a “disgrace” that a teenage girl in the care of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) was stuck with braces for months, because an orthodontist hadn’t been paid to remove them.
Longford-Westmeath TD Robert Troy said the case, heard by Dublin District Family Court yesterday, “demonstrates the basic dysfunction of the intervention and family support services in this country.”
It’s a disgrace that despite the establishment of the Child and Family Agency, cracks still remain and this case is a prime example of the gaps which still exist within the system.
The Judge in the case said the girl’s braces were “an unnecessary trespass on her person”, and ordered them to be removed within a month, after hearing that they should have been taken out three months ago.
The orthodontist in question refused to go ahead with the procedure when payment did not materialise.
Troy said the case was an example of the “funding and resources issues” plaguing the agency, which was founded in January.
Unfortunately, while there was a €25 million increase on last year’s budget, the figure falls far short of what is needed to allow the agency to operate effectively.
The Child and Family Agency had not responded to queries by TheJournal.ie in time for publication.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
You would think the orthodontist would put the patient first and remove them. Greedy!
Its all about money and profit, if you don’t have money you don’t get treated.
Why do some people expect others to work for nothing ?
Nobody is expecting anyone to work for free, apart from our Government jobs-bridge etc. Dental care for Children should be covered by the state.
I agree but I think it highlights a more serious issue-that the orthodontist did not trust TULSA which is a government statutory body, to pay him at a later stage.
Why is there a lack of compassion for the girl who is caught up in the nonsense?
Exactly, why is this “no-one should work for free” attitude foremost in so many people’s minds when a young girl’s welfare is in question. Could you imagine a surgeon refusing to sew up a patient post-surgery until a patient’s insurance had cleared, or the fire brigade not putting out a fire till the call-out charge was paid over. There’s something called human decency and common sense which applies in nearly every profession, and indeed sometimes you just don’t get paid, it happens everywhere all the time and as the judge rightly said it was a trespass upon her person..
Lol, such validity in your comparisons
Do you work without pay Barbara?
Yes for one of my jobs I sure do.
Oh so you have more than one job…..bit greedy??
If u consider volunteering greedy?
Well then Barbara it is not a job,you are volunteering which is laudable but totally different from your job in which you earn a living.
Dental care in Ireland is a complete rip off…end of story.
Fianna Fail allowed this to happen by sheltering various professions from competition.
No TD would be left with braces in their mouths.
Fair play to the FF TD for bring this to our attention. Well maybe his party could pay to have them removed after all His pal Bertie and Co have caused this
It just keeps getting better, health should never be a for profit business. This country is moving towards to a pay or die health system.
Yeah, he should work for free. Definitely.
I doubt he’s working for less than 100k per annum but sure he’s worth it and to hell with that young girl’s teeth and dignity.
There was surely a less miserable way of resolving his dispute with the Child and Family Agency.
To hell with her teeth? The state provided her with orthodontics. That’s a lot more than you’d get in other countries…
I have experience working with children in care and let me tell you that orthodontic treatment is only provided when it is an absolute necessity, for example in order to prevent problems with speech….don’t you think this is warranted as these kids generally have enough problems stemming from the trauma of abuse, neglect and removal from their family?
It may come as a shock but not everyone has the same experience of life as you, Dave…
My reading was the foster family went to the orthodontist privately, the relationship broke down with the child and then didn’t pay for the remainder of the treatment. The child may be in foster care but I don’t see how the orthodontist or state are at fault. If it was through the public system the question of payment wouldn’t arise. I don’t see why the state should be paying the considerable bill for private treatment that other children won’t have access to.
Yes but he paid up to €300000,to train plus a couple more to set up his practice plus huge insurance and that’s before he or she pays his staff. Ye sure he be great to work for nothing.
It is of no relation what the orthodontists salary is. Why should he not be paid ? You want work done, pay for it. Hes just caught in the crossfire of of Tusla being cheap. As always it is more preferable to blame workers than the government
There are ethical guidelines (which should become mandatory and enforceable in this country).
If Dep Troy did his homework he would know that child’s foster mother arranged for braces . The fostering arrangement broke down in the meantime. Lack of funding wasn’t the issue in braces not being removed. I suppose strictly speaking the foster mother was liable for costs???
I don’t know all the details of the case but if her othodontal treatment was deemed medically nessesary, it was impacting her health or speech, it would have been paid for by the state and done by the HSE. Any other orthodontic treatment, done by a private orthodontic, is considered cosmetic and therefore whoever decided to initiate treatment and payment should be considered liable to see the treatment out and paid for.
why didn’t he pay out of his massive expenses tosser.
Dentists are up there with Solicitors as the greatest rip off merchants ever.
As someone who has had a
lot of dental treatment in the last 2 years the difference in prices between different dentists is huge
There should be some sort of guidelines.
Why, if the girl was in the care of the state, did she not get her treatment through the HSE orthodontic system? I know it’s difficult to get accepted, but I would have thought she’d have priority as she’s in care.
It’s a way of getting clients to pay. I wish all private businesses had a similar mechanism to reduce bad debt.
have your say