Nantou County councilors on Tuesday last week accused the county government of poor planning after county officials said they had already spent all of the NT$37 million (US$1.27 million) earmarked to subsidize dentures for older residents this year.
The program, which started last year, was supposed to pay a maximum of NT$40,000 each to subsidize dentures for people over 65 who have resided in the county for at least one year, and can provide a note and a quote from their dentist.
However, the county ran out of money just two months into the program. It then raised the program’s budget from NT$20 million to NT$37million, which again proved insufficient.
The program’s suspension prompted accusations of poor planning and lack of foresight from county councilors.
As about 80,000 residents are eligible for the program, the county should have anticipated high demand for the subsidies, said Nantou County Councilor Chang Chih-ming (張志銘) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“It is the [county] government’s responsibility to make sound budget plans, not this sloppy attitude of spending the money until it runs out,” he said.
DPP Nantou County Councilor Lo Mei-lin (羅美玲) said she had repeatedly cautioned the county government to make better use of its limited resources by prioritizing older residents in lower-income households.
“Eligibility for the subsidies should have been prioritized according to income level,” she said.
Nantou Bureau of Social Services and Labor Administration said it is trying to find additional funds and that the program should resume in the second half of this year, adding that the county government extends its sincere apologies to the residents.
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