A PUBLIC dental clinic in Footscray that

treats 400 children a month

is at risk of closing after being overlooked in the budget.

The Baillieu Government has failed to fund a $9 million rebuild plan,

for the second consecutive year

, prompting fears

the children’s clinic will close permanently

.

Western Region Health Centre acting chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz described theand said the children’s clinic had to close three of its five dental chairs for most of last week due to an equipment failure.

‘‘The children’s clinic is the worst. The equipment dates  back to the 1960s. It is frequently breaking down and difficult to repair,’’ she said.

Ms Bartholomeusz said the building’s electrics were so antiquated they would require a complete upgrade to accommodate new chairs. Walls would also need to be removed but there was structural damage to the building from termites, she said.

Last week’s shutdown was due to the failure of a suction unit attached to the dental chairs but Ms Bartholomeusz said the clinic regularly suffered equipment breakdowns, particularly in summer.

The clinic’s airconditioning did not cope with extreme heat, she said, and material used for fillings would set before it could be used to treat patients.

Ms Bartholomeusz said staff were

‘‘continually monitoring the [children’s clinic] in terms of how long we can continue offering services’’

.

She said the service provided

emergency and general dental care to some of the community’s most vulnerable

, including refugees, mentally ill and homeless people, who would not be able to access treatment elsewhere

The Brumby Government had allocated 20 MILLION DOLLARS, over 4 years, to public dental funding in the 2010 budget

Yet they have managed to find 400 MILLION for private schools ( ... on TOP of federal dollars) - while CUTTING funding to state schools

500 MILLION for an ADDITIONAL new PRISON - while "cutting crime" in the state