Shimla: Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday announced an additional Rs 18 crore to strengthen dental infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh, and assured dental doctors of advanced equipment, additional staff and implementation of a senior residency policy in dental colleges.During an interaction with dentists, Sukhu said the govt had already released Rs 5.10 crore in the first phase for improving dental healthcare services. The additional allocation would be utilised to upgrade facilities and ensure better diagnosis and treatment. He said Rajiv Gandhi Govt Dental College, Shimla, would be equipped with high-end dental chairs, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) machines, intraoral scanners and operation theatre tables.Modern equipment would also be provided to strengthen dental radiology services. Adequate paramedical staff would be deployed to support doctors. Sukhu said a state-of-the-art dental college and Centre of Excellence was being established at Hamirpur at an estimated cost of Rs 600 crore. The govt was also exploring the possibility of constructing a new campus for the dental college at AIMSS Chamiyana in Shimla. The CM said a senior residency policy would be implemented in dental colleges, while lecturers would be promoted to assistant professor positions to improve career progression. An anaesthesiologist would also be made available at the Shimla dental college. Dental chairs would be installed in trauma centres to facilitate treatment in emergencies. The chief minister further assured deployment of multi-task workers to assist dental doctors in primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals. He said the govt was also considering granting non-practising allowance (NPA) to dental doctors and urged them to make optimum use of modern technology.
