The Dental Council of India (DCI) has suggested to the Centre for introduction of a three-year MBBS bridge course for BDS graduates who can work as full-fledged MBBS doctors, DCI President, Prof Dibyendu Majumdar said here on Saturday.
“We are awaiting the clearance from the Medical Council of India (MCI) in this connection,” Prof Majumdar said while speaking at the ‘Eastern Zonal Continuing Dental Education Programme, 2018’ being held under the aegis of the Indian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the SOA University.
If BDS graduates are allowed to go through a three-year bridge course, they can serve in the rural areas for four to five years, he said.
The DCI, he said, is also trying to convince the Central Government that much importance needs to be given to oral healthcare as 40 per cent to 45 per cent of all cancers pertaining to the oral cavity alone. “There is a huge budget for health; and the DCI is asking for a separate budget for oral health,” Prof Majumdar said.
Prof Jay Gopal Roy, president of Indian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (IAOMP), also addressed the inaugural session. SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof Amit Banerjee presided over the function.
Prof Majumdar informed that the Government has already agreed to the DCI’s proposal to allow dental surgeons to give death certificates in case a patient dies while under treatment in a dental clinic or hospital. The DCI is making efforts to ensure that the dental students are exposed to lectures by eminent teachers which would be made available to them through the web. “It will not cost the institutions anything as the DCI will bear the expenditure,” he said.