Health Department Probes Dental Assistants' Malpractice in Kashmir
SRINAGAR: The directorate of Health service, Kashmir have asked the Chief Medical Officers of all the districts to provide comprehensive, factual reports regarding a complaint lodged against Dental Assistants and Technicians suspected of engaging in malpractice within the valley.
The complaint, according to the health department, has been filed by the Divisional Secretary, All India Dental Surgeon Association J&K, that the Dental Assistants in Kashmir Division are performing dental procedures without proper qualifications and licenses and that improper infection control and sterilization procedures are posing significant health risk to patients.
The complaint further says that the Dental Assistants are over charging for dental services from the poor patients.
It further says that certain
Dental Surgeons have sold their registration to the Technicians and a number of Dental Clinics are not registered in Kashmir.
Notably, the valley is witnessing the dearth of dentists with reports suggesting that there has been no appointment of dental surgeons in Jammu and
Kashmir’s over the past 15 years
Taking advantage of the shortage of the dentists, many Dental Assistants and Technicians are illegally running the clinics across Kashmir putting the life of the patients at risk.
Since 2008, the J&K Public Services Commission has failed to create the posts for dental surgeons due to many reasons and the matter is pending in the court of Law.
Last year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Dental Education Section wrote to J&K Health and Medical Education Department regarding the unemployment of dental surgeons and urging them to take appropriate action.
However, as of now no “action” was taken.
As per a report, there are more than 10,000 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and approximately 2,000 Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) students in union territory who remain unemployed due to the dearth of opportunities in the government sector, despite the existing shortage of dental surgeons.
Meanwhile, according to an order from the department, a copy of which lies with Kashmir Observer, the medical chiefs of the districts have been asked to furnish a “factual detailed” report in the matter for further “course of action”.