Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Dental practice threatened after advising extra charge for unvaxxed

A Palmerston North dentist has been bombarded with threats - including to burn the practice down - after advising it wants all patients to be vaccinated, and will charge those that aren't a fee for use of PPE.

Vivian St Dental put up the notice a week ago, and the practice spokeswoman, who only wanted to be identified as "Erin", says they've had several threats since.

The notice says the business will require all adult patients to provide proof of vaccination from December 1 and that "unvaccinated patients may be seen at the last appointment of the day with full PPE gear, only for emergencies and will be charged accordingly an extra fee".

It also notes that there may be some who would disagree with the new policy, "however, we know this is the right thing to do to protect our patients, staff and the wider New Zealand community".

Those critical of the stance on social labelled it as "segregation", "discrimination" and a "violation of human rights", and that it was "Germany 1935 all over again", but Erin told the Herald they were just trying to protect themselves and their patients.

Meanwhile the Dental Council of NZ chief executive Marie Warner says threatening harm to a dental practice or practitioner ... "is not an acceptable action in any circumstances" and to seek help from "appropriate legal authorities ... for what would most likely be a distressing time for practitioners and their staff".

Erin said they were "happy to see everyone ... but this is a small dentist practice, the dentist is a private owner".

"What he's saying is that he wants a safe environment for his patients. We treat a relatively older patient group and he is prepared to see everyone, vaccinated or unvaccinated, but the unvaccinated people will be given a designated time in the afternoon and we will have to wear full PPE gear.

"As a health professional, he gets a lot closer to the person than a hairdresser does or hospitality do. He's three inches from your mouth and this is what a lot of people don't realise."

Their patients ranged in age from 50s and older including several 90-year-olds.

She said given the type of work dentists do, they were at higher risk of catching Covid given saliva was often sprayed out of the mouth while work was being done.

"For him to ensure that he is safe, that his assistant is safe, he is going to be wearing full PPE gear.

"The MoH do not give us any free PPE gear, we have to purchase it all as a private business, so he will charge accordingly."

There were highly charged emotions with Covid and that had seen multiple threats being levelled at them, she said.

"Unfortunately we've had threats against the premises as well and we've reported those to police.

"Threats of burning the place down ... so we've had a threat on that, and being spray- painted and that a Molotov cocktail being thrown at it.

"I came to work and this is what I have been greeted with. It's not wonderful."

As for the threats, including segregation, Erin said the owner was South African and knew all about that and discrimination.

"Yes, we've had some dreadful hate emails and some phone calls.

"For a start, the dentist is a South African man and knows about segregation and discrimination but he's been in New Zealand over 20 years, so we're not segregating.

"We're not saying we won't see them, all we're saying is we're going to take extra precautions and because we're taking extra precautions there is a charge."

Asked how their clientele had felt about the change, Erin said most - or 90 per cent - agreed with it.

"As with a change in our policy there will be some that disagree and that is everyone's choice and to be honest the couple of people that have emailed us aren't even clients of ours.

"I just think well, okay, I understand you don't agree so go somewhere else.

"I'm an employee, I'm just doing what the boss has said...that's what he wanted to do and he stands by it."

She said they had the same issue when people contracted hepatitis, and there was now another scientific reason why they were taking extra this time.

"So that means we have to give the surgery a complete and thorough clean down. We did exactly the same procedure years ago when people had hepatitis because that is transferred through blood and saliva and this is the whole scientific reason why we are doing this.

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"There is extra care, extra cost and extra time involved and he wants to make it safe for both patients, himself and his staff."

She was aware of other practices that would do the same.

"A couple of other dentists are choosing the same ... whether they put a note up or not, I don't know.

"We're trying to say to people, this is the change in policy, this is what we're deciding to do.

"People talk about nurses, aged care ... but no one has ever mentioned dentistry. MoH don't mention dentistry, nothing."

The cost of the extra charge had not yet been worked out, Erin said.

Warner said the Council was currently working with the Ministry of Health to develop updated guidelines for oral health services under the new Covid-19 protection framework - broadly known as the traffic light system - when it comes into effect.

"However, on a principle level – transmission-based precautions suggest that high-risk patients (usually confirmed or suspected infectious patients) have limited contact with other people/patients.

"One of the measures to achieve this may be through scheduling the patient at the end of the day—to minimise contact with others and allow time for a thorough cleaning process, stand-down time after aerosol generating procedures etc," she said.

She said it was not illegal for businesses to increase their prices. Oral health practitioners, like any other business, were free to set their own prices.

Patients should be fully informed, not only on treatment options but for all possible costs, and be advised before treatment of any changes.