Almost $5 million is expected to be provided by the Government over the next three years for changes to Otago's school dental clinics.
The proposal approved by the Ministry of Health differs slightly from the original plan put forward by the Otago District Health Board in 2007.
The funding has been allocated to cover construction or remodelling of eight fixed dental clinics throughout the province (one fewer than the original proposal) and two mobile clinics to replace the existing 66 clinics.
Under the proposal, the fixed clinics will contain a total of 16 chairs, with the largest clinics being the two four-chair ones in Dunedin, one in the south of the city and one in Northeast Valley.
Mosgiel and Oamaru will have two-chair clinics, while Wanaka, Balclutha, Alexandra and Cromwell will each have one-chair facilities.
The funding for the fixed clinics totals $3.854 million, most of it to be spent in the next two financial years.
A further $932,000 is allocated for the two-chair mobile clinics, half this financial year and the rest next year, along with $170,000 on associated site preparation and construction costs.
A Ministry of Health review in 2004 found that all of the region's school clinics failed to meet at least one of a range of standards.
Clinics no longer needed will be gradually decommissioned.
In a letter to be tabled at this week's health board meeting giving approval to the board's business case for the clinics, the Ministry of Health also advised that additional operating funding of $351,000 would be provided this financial year, followed by $1.202 million next year and $1.364 millionthe year after that.
The new funding is part of a $116 million upgrade of publicly-funded oral health services across the country and a further $40.2 million in operating costs over the next four years.
All 21 boards had to submit business cases on their oral health services and it had been expected that approval would be given last year.
Southland's was approved last year and it was decided, following this, that both boards would work together to introduce the changes, with one project manager working across both regions.
In a recent report to the board's community and public health advisory committee, senior planning and funding policy manager Glenn Symon said that was expected to bring economies of scale and a greater consistency across the two boards.
The project manager is expected to come up with an initial implementation plan by April 20.
The first part of the implementation will involve selecting sites, meeting the relevant school communities and securing the leases. (Until now school clinics have had their maintenance costs funded from education money.)
The Ministry of Health requires boards to use the national procurement process for their plans, a move which could save more than $11 million nationally and which will ensure equipment is standardised.
The proposal
Fixed clinics (16 chairs)
Dunedin: Two four-chair clinics.
Mosgiel, Oamaru: Two-chair clinics.
Wanaka, Balclutha, Alexandra, Cromwell: One-chair clinics.
Mobile clinics (4 chairs)
