10. Plaid Cymru Debate: Access to Health Services

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:12 pm on 6 November 2019.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 5:12, 6 November 2019

(Translated)

Certainly, yes. This long-term planning is vital to avoid situations such as that in the future. And that’s why I’m so pleased—if truth be told, I went to visit the 18 students in Bangor being trained at the moment, and it’s wonderful to see that, but we need that to increase and to accelerate as well.

There's a lack of dentists as well, which is creating problems in terms of access to dentistry services in the same way. And in my constituency, this means that people have to travel very far to receive treatment on the NHS. And certainly, we need more dentists in that area. And the way that the dental contract caps the numbers of NHS patients is also decreasing access to dentist services.

I see that time is against me. It’s vital that patients in Wales, who need to see a GP or a dentist, can have equal access across Wales to these services—equal in terms of geography, and equal in terms of income and also in terms of age.