No dentist at three rural health centres in Karnal

Tribune News Service

Karnal, June 15

Dental chairs at three major government-run health institutions in the rural areas are lying unused. Patients have to turn back owing to non-availability of dentists at these health facilities.

The Community Health Centre (CHC) in Nigdhu, Primary Health Centres (PHC) of Salwan and Khukhni have dental chairs and other related equipment, but all these have been lying vacant for months altogether for want of dentists. Residents have raised the issue at different platforms, but to no avail.

“The Nigdhu PHC was upgraded to the CHC, but still, it lacks basic facilities. It has dental chair and other facilities, but does not have dental surgeon, due to which residents cannot get treatment here. They have either to go to private hospital or at district headquarters for dental treatment. We have raised the issue with department officials and government representatives, but no dentist has been deployed at these health facilities,” said Subhash Chand, a resident of Nigdhu.

Besides these three health facilities, five more health institutions of the rural areas do not have dentists. These include the Ballah CHC and Gagsina, Khukhni, Gudha, Padha and Biana PHCs where the posts of dental surgeon are lying vacant. Also, these health institutions do not have dental chairs.

“The Assandh Government Hospital, which is 45 km from the district headquarters, has only one post of dentist. This hospital requires at least two dentists,” said an official.

Dr Aman Kamboj, Deputy Civil Surgeon (Dental), told that they had sent request for doctors as well as dental chairs to the authorities concerned.

Dr Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon, said, “We are hopeful that the vacant posts of dentist will be filled soon. In couple of the PHCs, the post of dentist has just been sanctioned. The buildings of two PHCs, including Padha and Ramba, are under construction. After the completion of these buildings, dental chairs will be installed there.”

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