A majority of heads of colleges and academic institutes as well as dentistry practitioners have sought for clarity on some aspects of the National Dental Commission Bill-2020, which they said should be more democratic. If passed, the commission members will no longer be elected but nominated by the government.
This was one of the main topics of discussion that came up on Thursday at a stakeholders’ meeting on the draft National Dental Commission Bill, which will repeal the existing Dentist Act, 1948. The meeting was organised by the Centre for Education and Social Sciences (CESS).
Edwin Devadoss, Dean, Rajarajeswari Dental College & Hospital, said: “Under the existing Dentist Act, 1948, there are provisions to elect members to the Dental Council of India, which will not be the case with the National Dental Commission Bill. The democracy that exists now will be missing.”
Many practitioners and academicians urged that the word ‘clinic’ be defined and that quality control initiatives be included.
Roopa Nadig, former dean of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, said that there was no clarity on the exit test. She sought to know if the final year examination or the end of internship is considered as the exit test or whether one more exam would be conducted. “Lots of details still need to be worked out in the Bill,” she added.
M.S. Sudhakar, former MLA, highlighted the need for dentistry facilities at primary health centres. The government should provide infrastructure and human resources to enhance dental services to the public. “Dentistry interns should be made to go to rural areas for services. This will also give them exposure to clinical learning,” he said.
Speaking on the need for more integration of general medicine and dental science, most of the participants said that basic medical science subjects should be included in dentistry and there should be window available for students to upgrade their skills through fellowships and certificate courses.
M.K. Sridhar, president, governing board of CESS, said the centre would forward all feedback to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan was present during the event.
