Churchill clinic reopened

Earlier this month the Minister for Health announced that a two-chair clinic had been reopened at Churchill in the LaTrobe Valley. This clinic had been closed in 2004 due to workforce shortages.

Ms Pike said the upgrade of Churchill’s new clinic at the Latrobe Community Health Service meant 1600 people would no longer be forced to travel to Moe for their dental care.

More significantly, this release noted how much the waiting lists had been reduced overall in the last two years. “Since the end of 2004, we have reduced the general dental waiting list by 84,464 people - from 262,440 to 177,976,” Ms Pike said.

Regrettably, many clinics, especially in rural Victoria, continue to experience waiting times of between three and five years, and so much more remains to be done.