Dentists urged to expand scope of operations

Kumasi, June 29, GNA- Major (rtd) Courage Quarshigah, Minister of Health has challenged Ghanaian dentists to operate beyond their area of specialisation to enhance health care delivery in the country. He also noted that majority of Ghanaians lacked education on oral health and urged dentists to intensify public education on that aspect of health.

Major Quarshigah, who was speaking at the 16th Annual Congress of the Ghana Dental Association (GMA), in Kumasi on Friday, appealed to dentists to help research into the traditional way of tooth brushing, used in the olden days, to maintain proper oral health. The Minister said there was the need to ensure good health care delivery for the people to enable them to contribute meaningfully to national development.

Professor Tsiri Agbenyega, Dean of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, School of Medical Sciences, expressed concern about the low number of dentists in the country and called on the Government to train more professionals. He also stressed the need for a multi-sectoral approach to rural development to entice people to accept postings to the rural areas. Prof. Agbenyenga explained that most professionals were unwilling to accept posting to rural areas partly due to the lack of quality education in those areas, and called government to improve educational standards in the rural communities. Dr. Eric Asamoah, President of GDA, suggested to the Ministry of Health to train dental nurses to augment the work of dentists.