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Free Dental Care for Primary School Kids

Free Dental Care for Primary School Kids
Free Dental Care for Primary School Kids

Free dental care for primary school children is a major focus of the Health Reform Plan in the current year, (started March 21), Minister of Health and Medical Education Dr. Hassan Hashemi said.

The health plan was launched in May 2014 nationwide with the objective of implementing and executing urgent and long-term reforms in medical and healthcare systems. Some of the schemes currently underway include: enhancing emergency room services, providing quality care for inpatients, and outpatient checkups and promotion of natural births, and fair medical tariffs.

The free dental healthcare package aims at children below the age of 14. Students will receive professional checkups and necessary interventions such as fluoride therapy and tooth decay prevention,” he said, quoted by IRNA.

The average rate of dental problems and diseases is high among Iranian adolescents as well as adults “and this number should decrease by half within year” by improving medical infrastructures, in particular establishing more specialized dental centers.

The medical referral system, currently administered in cities with a population below 20,000, has an ‘unclear fate’ in Iran; its successful implementation requires systematic efforts by the General Practitioner (GP, informally: family doctor) system.” Aside from technical deficiencies, in the absence of sufficient number of GPs, “establishment of the family doctor plan will fail in big cities,” he added.

According to Hashemi, fundamental preparations for the referral system require “at least 15 years of work in close collaboration with parliament, executive and other authorities who control financial resources.

 Specialty for Burns

He also stressed the need for establishing a specialty hospital for burns and chemical injuries in Arak (capital of Markazi Province). The ministry needs funding for the purpose, he said, and urged organizations in petroleum and gas industry to contribute.

The 65-year-old Valiasr Hospital in Arak is undergoing renovation and “in addition to the 200 billion rials ($ 6 million) allocated, completing the task requires five times the amount,” he noted. Western Iran’s hub for cancer treatment - Ayatollah Khansari Hospital in Arak is likely to receive 10 billion rials for expansion from the health ministry.

There are 20 hospitals in Markazi Province, of which 15 are state-run, 3 are run by the Social Security Organization (SSO), and the remaining two in Arak and Saveh belong to the private sector.

 

Financialtribune.com