Dental patients have signed a petition asking Public Health England to review and cap personal protective equipment (PPE) surcharges to prevent dentists from profiting from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a posting on change.org.
Paula Scurfield started the petition after her dental office requested that she pay a PPE fee of 25 pounds, which is about $31.50 U.S., a day before her scheduled appointment or her visit would be canceled. She was told that this fee would be charged to every patient for every appointment, including follow-up treatments, according to the petition.
As of July 8, the petition had 18 of its requested 100 signatures. Scurfield wrote that she is not against dentists charging patients for new infection control measures. However, she wrote that it should be set at a "reasonable" rate to ensure care remains accessible to all.
