Dentists in India may be forced to stand in for doctors amid widespread shortage
Dentists may be forced to stand in for doctors in India amid a widespread shortage of medical professionals.
The government is considering introducing a new course, which would be designed to bridge the gap between medicine and dentistry, to allow dentists to take on some of the family healthcare services offered by community doctors. The plan has already been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The proposal has been put together by the Dental Council of India. President of the IDC, Dibyendu Mazumdar, stated that the BDS syllabus followed by dentists sets them up to provide a comprehensive range of healthcare services.
To enable dentists to provide additional services, the DCI has put forward plans to create a bridge course, which will enable dentists to complete medical training in three years. The course will be open to dental graduates and could make a dramatic impact on the ratio of patients to doctors. According to government sources, there is currently a ratio of less than 1 doctor to every 1,000 patients.
Although there has been support for the new bridge course, the news has not been received positively by all. Critics say that there is also a shortage of dentists in India and that adding medical duties would distract dentists from providing patients with the dental care and treatments they require.
