Dental and pediatrician for kids

hi, no to start a new thread:

does anyone know do the kids neew to be vaccinated with prenevar 13?

and even better - anyone has a list of mandatory vaccinations? is this it: http://www.kidsmalta.com/pages/view/immunisation.aspx

Hi,

the best way to find out if you visit the local health center in Gzira with your children's vaccination booklet (or medical records, whatever you have in your country). They will check and let you know what they need to have.

Also when you will enroll them to the local school, you will get an appointment with the school doctor (the school does not have a resident doctor, but someone who comes to do the regular check ups) and she will want to see their vaccination records as well.

If yo want to have your own doctor then you have to go private. At the local health clinic you will see whoever is having his/her shift. There is no pediatrician only a GP for everyone.

Hi, dental treatment is free for children if you are entitled to health care. Sorry, don't know much about entitlement. You have to book a check up at the hospital. Unfortunately,  a misguided idea had led to all dental treatment being done at the hospital. As a result, there is at least a years waiting list. As an emergency, you can been seen same day.

Feel difficult saying this coxf0001, given your experience and profession but are there not many private dental practices on Malta/Gozo?

redmik wrote:

Feel difficult saying this coxf0001, given your experience and profession but are there not many private dental practices on Malta/Gozo?

Hi, private practices yes, there are loads but none will give free treatment for children.  Nhs is only provided at the hospital, there are no dental chairs left in the poly clinic. It has all been centralized to the hospital.

coxf0001 wrote:

redmik wrote:

Feel difficult saying this coxf0001, given your experience and profession but are there not many private dental practices on Malta/Gozo?

Hi, private practices yes, there are loads but none will give free treatment for children.  Nhs is only provided at the hospital, there are no dental chairs left in the poly clinic. It has all been centralized to the hospital.

Thanks it's just that you wrote all dental treatment was at hospital and I wanted to clarify for my own purposes.

My children's dentist once told me that the average age for the first visit to the dentist in Malta is 8 years old....

Damsel wrote:

My children's dentist once told me that the average age for the first visit to the dentist in Malta is 8 years old....

Yes and it is very sad. They are trying hard to educate and I know we are not allowed to tall politics but it was tragic to move the dental chairs from the community primary care to the hospital. It has made an already hard task to educate people to visit locally,  near on impossible to get them to the hospital.

Do I understand correctly that there is no scheduled yearly dental check up for school children?
And if I want to it to be done free I should ask for an appointment at the hospital at least couple of months in advance?

Thank you

Evi

pevi wrote:

Do I understand correctly that there is no scheduled yearly dental check up for school children?
And if I want to it to be done free I should ask for an appointment at the hospital at least couple of months in advance?

Thank you

Evi

Hi, you can pay private at any dental clinic. Ideally it is recommended you visit the dentist every 6 months. As an entitled nhs patient, you can receive free dental check ups, scale and polish with the hygieni tst and extraction. If you are a pink card holder ( low income, unemployed etc.) you are entitled to all treatment free. That goes for children too. Children are also entitled to orthodontic treatment. They, the hospital are currently booking check ups for November 2014. If in an emergency you should arrive at 7 am and wait to be seen on same day.

Thank you for the info. November 2014??
Probably I was lucky as I went to a school which had a residence dentist no appointments,remainders where needed, our teachers just took us. Probably that is way I thought that they are some check ups for school children.


Thanks again

Evi

Hi Evi
yes 2014! Hopefully things will change soon. A national dental survey is being done for aged 3, 5 & 8 year olds will highlight the desperate situation. A mobile van is on the cards, like all things health wise, it comes down to allocation of need. Let's hope the powers  that be, realise the need soon. I will keep people posted!