SEYMOUR Health would cash in under a re-elected State Government to provide free dental care on a weekend.
Currently, only the Royal Dental Hospital provides weekend emergency public dental care, but under a new plan, 10 existing public dental clinics on weekends would be open for emergency care.
Seymour Health is one of the locations set to benefit, while the opening hours would also be expanded in Ringwood East, Box Hill, Sunbury, Berwick, Springvale, Hoppers Crossing, Bairnsdale, Wangaratta and Horsham.
It is a $26.9 million investment which would assist with 30 per cent of all treatment, which factors in emergency treatment.
Twenty free dental clinics would also be provided under a re-elected State Government, with Victorians able to walk in for free check-ups, fillings, root canals and extractions, while sign-on bonuses would also bring more dentists into the public system.
Premier Ben Carroll said it was a common-sense move.
“A dental emergency shouldn’t mean a long drive or a long wait,” he said.
Minister for Health Ingrid Stitt said it was a positive move for Victorians who needed it.
“We’ll open our existing public dental clinics on weekends for emergencies, so Victorians can get urgent care,” she said.