Dear Mr Dentist : On deserting the NHS

our family dentist has just told us he is going private only and wants us to sign up to pay £150 per person per year just for regular checkups. Following a recent unpleasant extraction this is what I wrote to him:

 

 

Dear Mr Dentist,

 

I enclose a cheque for £45 being payment for recent dental treatment. You will notice this is 40p more than your bill. I trust you will donate this to the charitable fund for financially distressed dental practitioners. Until you decided to send me a reminder of the unpaid bill in the post only 24 hours after the bill itself, I had not realised the gross economic hardship you and colleagues must be facing. If things get worse for you I can recommend a visit to the soup kitchen at The Salvation Army each Friday lunchtime where no one in need is turned away unfed.

 

Previously I had considered withholding payment as a protest against your immoral decision to withdraw from the NHS. I believe what you and many other dentists are doing in turning to exclusive private practice is totally reprehensible. In the first place you have acquired your skills and built up your practice with subsidy from the state but are now deserting the NHS because you seem to be more interested in filling wallets than teeth.  The official figures show that dentists in the NHS are not badly paid in comparison with most jobs, and are much better off than the vast majority of their patients http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalearnexp0506 

 

In leaving the NHS your are seeking to extract, or should I say extort, money from people who cannot afford it yet are desperate because of actual or possible dental pain. Though I personally can just about afford treatment under the NHS, millions of people who are on low pay or on benefits cannot. The shortage of NHS dentists in this region appears to be a cavity that cannot be filled so there is little possibility of finding treatment. The consequences of this for the overall dental health of the nation will be immense, as many of us will not have the opportunity for regular checkups or non-emergency treatment.

 

If you have a conscience I would urge you to reconsider in the light of some wisdom from the Bible.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

 

Proverbs 27:24 (obviously a verse specially for dentists!)
for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

 

 

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