Union Minister Ashwini Choubey on Friday administered an oath to dental students in the national capital for working in rural areas for at least 15 days a year, and urged them to create awareness about oral hygiene among the people.
Inaugurating the 11th International Dental Students and the fifth Dental Surgeons Conference, the Union Minister of State for Health said the government wants to increase the number of state-run dental colleges and at the same time wants private facilities to deliver quality service.
The dental council can play a crucial role in monitoring and enhancing the quality of these services, Choubey was quoted as saying in a release.
The event was organized by Dental Students Welfare Association of India and Dental Surgeons Association of India at Lady Hardinge Medical College in the national capital.
According to the release, he urged all dental students and dental surgeons to create more awareness about oral hygiene and related diseases in the country.
About the recently launched Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) which aims to provide health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and benefit over 50 crore people, the minister said, "The services will include more than 1,300 procedures covering pre and post hospitalization, diagnostics, medicines and others.
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"The beneficiaries will be able to access services across the country through the provider network in a seamless manner," Choubey said.
He said Ayushman Bharat is a progression towards promoting preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative aspects of universal healthcare through access to health and wellness centres (HWCs) at primary level and provision of financial protection for accessing curative care at secondary and tertiary levels through engagement with both public and private sectors.
"The government is developing 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres that would bring healthcare closer to people, so that every Indian can have timely access to healthcare, including diagnostic services and free essential drugs," Choubey said.