22nd October, 2013
The Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are to establish 774 dental clinics across the country.
The Director, Inter-Country Centre for Oral Health, Dr Emmanuel Otoh, told newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday that the project was to improve oral health service delivery in the country.
“The Federal Government policy on oral health has made provision for the establishment of one dental clinic in each of the 774 local councils in the country.
“This will be done after the ongoing training of primary health workers in the country on basic dental and month related diseases.
“The policy is in line with the 2005 WHO survey on the state of dental personnel in the country.
“The survey showed that the country was lacking dental personnel, this is why we are training primary healthcare workers who are everywhere in the country.
“The trained health workers will assist in identifying some of the cases, treat the few they can and recommend the others to appropriate hospitals for treatment,” he said.
Otoh said that they had concluded arrangement to start two-day free medical treatment for teeth and other mouth-related diseases in Makurdi Local Government Area between October 23 and October 24.
He appealed to the government to make oral health training courses compulsory in all health institutions in the country for the purpose of improving good health.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Deputy Director, Department of Health and Human Services, Mr Solomon Tabulo, said that 70 primary health workers were trained for the exercise in the local government.
Tabulo said that the exercise would take place at Wadata and North Bank primary health clinics simultaneously.