Srinagar, March 6 The Government Dental College, Srinagar, will now provide upgraded dental care facilities in the remote Khaag block in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district, officials said here on Friday.
The Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College and Hospital, Srinagar, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, to this effect.
"The agreement focuses on the collaborative strengthening, upgrading, and capacity building of the Dental Health Centre at PHC Khaag, a rural health training centre of GMC Srinagar, as mandated by the National Medical Commission in Budgam district," said Dr Aasim Farooq, head of the Department of Public Health Dentistry.
He said this collaboration will serve as a model for upgrading dental health care services across J&K.
"The department is already running five such peripheral centres in collaboration with Government Medical College Baramulla and the Directorate of Health Services at CHC Tangmarg, PHC Sallar Anantnag, HC Fakir Gujri Srinagar, UHTC Bagi Islam Baramulla, and RHTC Kalantra Baramulla," Dr Farooq added.
This collaboration has come into effect in compliance with the implementation of decisions made during a meeting held under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod K Paul in September last year, regarding key challenges and issues faced by the Union Territory of J&K related to access and availability of dental health services.
The key challenges faced in enhancing the accessibility and availability of dental health services across J&K are the rural-urban disparity, the limited availability of advanced dental care to only dental colleges, and the absence of a framework for training and capacity building of existing manpower.
Speaking on the occasion, Sandeep Kaur Bali, Principal of Government Dental College & Hospital, Srinagar, said this collaboration embodies the commitment to providing quality dental care beyond the confines of the college.
"By joining forces with the Department of Community Medicine, we are adopting a holistic approach to upgrade the Dental Health Centre in Budgam into a model facility that serves as a benchmark for peripheral healthcare in the valley," Bali added.