Govt fails to weed out dental quackery Staff shortage spurs illegal clinics

Srinagar, Jan 26: Amid shortage of dental surgeons, the Health Department Kashmir has failed to take action and weed out dental quacks in several areas putting lives of hundreds of patients at risk.
People complained that at a time when dental care in government hospitals is limited due to inadequate facilities, it has given rise to dental quackery with no checks from authorities.
Suhail Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar said in many areas the dental quacks are working without the licenses and required qualifications putting the lives of hundreds of patients at risk.
“There are many fake dentists, operating in markets and doing their job safely but health authorities have failed to take action against them,” he said.
People complained that there are fake dentists too in different areas of Srinagar and most of them are treating patients during evening hours.
“They have drug shop hoardings outside but inside they have dental machines and treat patients. They are using unsterilized equipment,” they said.
Self-styled medical practitioners, who often fail to adhere to sterilization protocols as required by norms, pose a significant risk to public health, with their practices being a major cause of infection spread.
“There is always a delay in the government. hospitals. When we visit Govt. Dental College Srinagar for consultations, they give us long dates for treatment,” said Mohammad Shafi from Budgam. “This forces us to seek treatment at private dental clinics,” the elderly man added.
Health experts believe that there is a dearth of dental surgeons in government hospitals and health centres across Kashmir as there has been no creation of dental surgeons for the past more than a decade taking a toll on oral healthcare.
Primary oral health care services have taken a hit due to inadequate facilities and poor manpower in rural hospitals like district hospitals, SDHs, CHCs and PHCs.
An official of the health department said 90 percent of the patient load is in public hospitals as oral health procedures are costly in the private sector due to which patients end up seeking treatment from quacks exposing them to risks.
Due to the shortage of dental surgeons, patients are compelled to visit hospitals located in far-off places and private clinics for consultation which is unaffordable for poor patients.
According to norms, there should be at least two dentists in a Sub-District Hospital, and for a Primary Health Centre there must be a dental surgeon and an assistant.
Some unemployed dental surgeons argue that despite the establishment of new PHCs, none have dental surgeons which has widened the urban-rural healthcare gap and left vulnerable populations relying on unqualified practitioners and no action on weeding out quacks.
In 2018 and 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Dental Council took strong notice of the illegal dental clinics and tried to weed out violators but post-reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir dental clinics have come under the ambit of CMOs.
“Now we only do the registration and renewal of doctors. When J&K was a state we had many powers,” he said, adding that in every district there are committees.
Officials of the J&K Dental Council said that now Chief Medical Officers have the task of conducting inspections against the illegal practice of dental quackery.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Srinagar, Dr Tahir Sajad said that while they regularly inspect clinics and have conducted numerous drives resulting in several closures, the issue remains persistent and unending.
“CMOs have the authority to close clinics, and our DHO regularly monitors unethical practices. We will conduct more drives to take action against those operating illegal clinics. ZMOs have also been empowered to act in this regard,” he said.