According to Bangor’s representative in the Welsh Parliament, the establishment of a dentistry school in Bangor is the next natural step for the city.
Since being elected in 2016, Siân Gwenllian made it a central part of her work as a member of the Senedd for Arfon to campaign for a Medical School in Bangor, training the doctors of the future. That campaign was eventually successful and has lead to discussion about establishing a School of Pharmacy in the city.
And now, the member of the Senedd for Arfon believes that Bangor’s status as the City of Learning can be further solidified by beginning to train dentists locally.
In an exchange with Lesley Griffiths MS, the Welsh Government’s minister for North Wales on the floor of the Senedd, Siân Gwenllian claimed the establishment of such a school is “the next natural development.”
Siân said, “For the first time ever, it's possible to apply for an undergraduate course at the new medical school at Bangor University, which is excellent news and will lead, in due time, to improvements in health services in north Wales.
“Plans are afoot to create a school of pharmacy in Bangor, which is also to be welcomed, and the next natural development is to train dentists locally too, and Bangor University would be an ideal location for a new school of dentistry for Wales.
“Will you support this campaign as minister for north Wales, and will you join with me in making the case to the Minister for Health—the case for a new dental school in Bangor—building on the medical training that is already afoot in the city?”
In the past, the member of the Senedd for Arfon, which includes the city of Bangor has argued that training dentists in the city would plug the gap in local dentistry services.
Leslie Griffiths MS replied that she would “certainly have a discussion with the minister for Health and Social Services” and that she was “very keen for anything that's looked at nationally to be brought to north Wales.”