Sir,
It was on 18 May 2021, when health and medical education published a notification under order no 398/jk/hme 2021, notifying posts for newly 500 bedded covid hospital wherein 35 posts were advertised for medical doctors with MBBS/ISM/BDS qualifications. This was seen as ray of hope by most of unemployed dental post-graduates and graduates who have been waiting for any posts under Health and Medical Education Since 2008.
But as things go in our state, every new day brings new surprises and new shocks; the actual notification that was advertised by GMC Jammu and subsequently by GMC Srinagar omitted dental as qualification for the same aforementioned 35 posts. It was an outright dejection and absolute discrimination that dental post-graduates and graduates have been facing since 2008.
Sir, just to put to requisition the facts, dentistry has been facing systematic discrimination because there have been absolutely no posts advertised in our state since a decade or so, which completely undermines another fact that even though there is fully prepared file pending in Secretariat, bearing number HD/PLAN/68/204, which had suggested for creation of 550 posts for dental graduates and post graduates as against the shortage/absence of posts received from health department.
Dental professionals have not been part of National Health Mission schemes, or other center sponsored health schemes. There seems to have complete moratorium when it comes to job creation in dentistry since 2008.
Dental surgeons have faced misfortune time and again. They have suffered badly at hands of quacks, their unchecked unethical practices, insensitive policy making and irregular rationalization in health care. All this have culminated into a disaster and it would not be hard to say that this profession is saturated even in private sector. Students have begun dropping out of dental colleges or even if they graduate, they are either opting out of this profession soon after their college, or join any other state or foreign country to offer their professional services. This not only is wastage of national resources but an apt example of state driven brain drain.
The ever expanding dental clinics in private set up should not be seen as good sign for this profession. It’s business sine qua non as usual, as most of the growth is restricted to new towns, and large cities.
The dearth of dental surgeons in rural areas is not unknown. The outbreak of deadly hepatitis B like diseases, because of poor, unprofessional services by dental quacks in rural areas, is pointer towards that. Besides maxillo facial diseases, trauma by road accidents and other related diseases could well be managed successfully at the rural or peripheral districts of our UT. Thus the importance of this profession should not be undermined.
Dental professionals and their degrees are useless until the skill they acquired through hard work, 5 years of graduation 3 years of post graduation, is acknowledged. This needs to be put to service in govt hospitals, thus helping take oral health to grassroots levels.
Sir, our voices are limited, so are our choices after opting for dentistry as career. The profession that is still integral part of public health domain has been neglected for years now and this demoralizing treatment can be gauged from the fact that dental surgeons are on roads to shout for their demands.
Sir, your are requested to heed the voices that are now raising. This profession has enough to offer to people. All the erstwhile governments have failed to formulate a substantive policy regarding absorbing dental post-graduates and graduates in government services. We have great expectations from your as you have been hailed as person who believes in pro people governance, and of grassroots level development.
Tahir Ahmad is MDS oral and maxillo facial surgery.