Question NW617 to the Minister of Health:

Reply:

Yes.

1. The Department is currently providing school primary preventive oral health programmes to Quintile 1 and 2 schools in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, as part of the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP). The services consist of:

a. Dental screening;
b. Oral health education;
c. Tooth brushing sessions;
d. Tooth fissure sealant applications; and
e. Basic treatment services.

2. The Department has purchased Mobile Dental Clinics, equipped with dental equipment and instruments, for the NHI pilot districts, to provide oral health services to children at schools and areas that are difficult to reach. This serves to improve access to services to communities that are poor.

3. The Department conducts quarterly visits to facilities in districts and provinces to assess the quality of oral health services that are used by the poor. Reports with recommendations are then sent to relevant provinces to take remedial action where necessary. Such exercises help to improve quality of oral health services.

4. The Ideal Clinic initiative aims to include and improve oral health services at Primary Health Care Level by ensuring availability of appropriate infrastructure, equipment and human resources to render quality oral health services.

5. Placement of Community Service Dentists in rural areas and also to areas where there were no oral health services have increased and therefore the access to oral services has increased to poor communities.

END.