UNEMPLOYMENT | Government Apathy towards Dentists

A recent order from Mission Youth J&K under the heading “Customized Livelihood Generation Scheme for dental professionals” Government has announced a group contract based loan assistance scheme for the unemployed dental professionals for setting up their dental clinics .

The scheme includes a grant-in-aid of 2 lakh in addition to the startup loan which shall be repayable and has been assured to all those unemployed dentists who would be ready to offer their services on terms and conditions as set up under the program.

   

There are times when the Government doesn’t plan to take on development activities or doesn’t wish to spend on healthcare and to cut down on expenditure and subtly outsource or transfer their roles and responsibilities to the private sector.

In these times, the Government then looks for alternate ways of getting the work done. These work solutions are neither long term, nor permanent. Contract services have become a chosen mode of finding solutions to jobs.

The prime example of this diabolical policy is the contract services of various paramedical staff, contractual employees in various colleges who have been pushed in darkness of uncertainty where Government has completely failed to provide them opportunities to serve.

The new contract based scheme seems to be having same analogy.

Government in the same document of Mission Youth claims that around 3500 dentists are presently unemployed in J&K but claims to sanction dental contract for only 200 cases, i.e. 400 dentists plus only if they undertake to employ 2 dental technicians in their dental clinic ,that is an added liability that comes with this capital stand-up .

Another point of the scheme reads that dental clinics need to be set up only in cities and urban areas .As per JKSDC (state dental council) there are more than 160 and 150 registered dental clinics in cities like Jammu and Srinagar to cater to dental services of the population. In addition two premier tertiary dental colleges, a private dental college in Jammu and SKIMS Bemina are also offering dental services to the same population.

More clinics in these areas would only add to miseries of newcomers and saturate the already existing space.It seems natural that the rural-urban mismatch that is enormous should have been considered but it wasn’t!

Government dental colleges have been authorised to provide handholding support to the new clinics. Even their role has been questionable and over pinned in private space because it would lead to more corruption and shifting of patients from Government to private clinics in an organised way.

This scheme seems to also lack complete consensus of dentists who are the target and need to be integral to this scheme to make it a success.

On the flip side, unemployed dentists have been protesting for many years against the Government apartheid against dentists for not creating any jobs since 2008 .

They have been trying hard to break through the bureaucratic shackles, red-tapism and institutional adversaries that existed for years and to convince the Government, the need to absorb dentists in the regular services the same way the healthcare professionals from other arenas have been provided opportunities

However it’s also pertinent to mention here that there has been no dental post advertised since 2008 through J&K public service commission and the file bearing dispatch number—HD/PLAN/68/2014 that actually recommended nearly 500 to 600 dental posts have been stalled through these years biting dust of the civil secretariat!

It’s also essential to point out that even though the JKPSC would advertise posts it still wouldn’t suffice to unemployment of the magnitude that has been created because of complete negligence of dental profession, thus it becomes dutiful on Government to work out long lasting and alternate rationalized policy that would not only absorb the existent unemployed cohort but also streamline the future pass outs from Government dental colleges and universities.

Some suggestions that could be worked out include

-Employing dentists in rural and semi urban areas of J&K through NRHM program!

-Employing dentists at primary secondary and tertiary levels in accordance with other WHO recommended ratio of 1:5000 as against the current ratio of 1:30000

-Working out a policy of Govt-Dentist partnership plan where Government offers space and salary to dentist and dentist offers dental setup and services as against this current contract based system which would add loan liability to dentists and suffice to only cities

-Inclusion of emergency dental services in Ayushmaan Bharat scheme enabling Golden Health Card holders to avail dental services from already existing clinics and hospitals while Government reimburse dentists through the insurance scheme .

Employing dentists on nominal pay scale for probationary period of 5 years till further regularalization is made subjected to outcome of performance and fulfilment of revenue target for the years.

The steps may not be robust solution but it definitely would help the dentists struggling and striving to work and offer their services!

Privatisation of dental services would make it inaccessible expensive and limited to only a section of people.

The author is MDS oral maxillo facial surgery

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.

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