At a state-level health program held on Monday, Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf flagged off seven mobile dental vans. These vans are going to be deployed at seven divisional headquarters, namely- Ajmer, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur.
GVK Telangana will maintain dental vans at Bharatpur, Bikaner, and Udaipur. Moving on, Jaipur Division van will be operated by Maharaja Dental College, Jodhpur will be managed by Vyas Dental College, while Ajmer and Kota will be taken care of by Santokba Durlabhji hospital.
There is an inadequacy of dentists and important equipment at community health centres. Moreover, dental problems need frequent follow-ups and it’s difficult for kids living in villages to visit the district hospitals, periodically. The initiative has been taken in a bid to provide dental aid to all those children residing in rural areas who are not getting proper oral care.
Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf Flagged off Dental Vans
(Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times)
As per the figures released under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), over 1.43 Lakh kids suffer from dental problems. This amounts to 20% of the children who are going through various ailments.
In a screening process, the state government has identified 78,000 children suffering from dental problems. This information was revealed when the health workers inspected schools, anganwadis, and madrasas for an early detection and management of diseases, defects, and deficiency conditions in children.
This is the first dental van project in India that will cater to the oral care needs of children. These vans launched by the Rajasthan government will perform scaling and tooth extraction operations. Furthermore, the vans are equipped with X-ray facility, UV chamber, autoclaving equipment, and a power generator.
For surveillance, the vans are fitted with a CCTV camera and a global positioning system. Each of these mobile vehicles will have two dentists, one technician, on helper, one staff, and a driver.
