Dental clinic opens at Cumberland Health Centre

Residents continue to benefit from improved health services provided by the government as a new dental clinic opened last Saturday at the Cumberland Health Centre, East Berbice Corentyne, Region Six.

The new section of the health centre cost the Ministry of Health approximately $3 million.

It is equipped with a dental chair which comes with various equipment and compartments.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony stressed the importance of dental hygiene and encouraged the residents to make use of the services.

“We want to do one thing, and that is to move away from this thing where, when people get a toothache and they go to a health facility we will pull it out. No, we don’t want to do that. We want to save the tooth. And that’s why with the facilities that we are opening, we want to ensure that people come and do preventative checkups,” the health minister explained.  

Minister Anthony said that the government has invested in more equipment to save the tooth.

The minister opined, that last year, the ministry did close to 220,000 dental procedures, the largest of its kind to ever be recorded in the country as it expanded its service.

Additionally, Regional Chairman, David Armogan stated that the added service greatly correlates with the region’s rapid health services development that is currently ongoing.

“Our health centres and primary health care are extremely important for all of us in this region. And that is why since we came back into government in 2020, we have ensured that every single one of our health centres has been upgraded,” Armogan told the residents present.

The regional chairman added that dental services have changed in the region, with a range of services such as filling and cleaning coming on board.

Meanwhile, Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional Health Authority, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo recounted how far the region has come in terms of services and infrastructure.

“This facility has grown and not only in size. Under this PPP\C government and this Minister of Health…over the last three years, this region would’ve received over $400 million for every single facility to be upgraded, and this is just one example of the facilities,” Dr Mahadeo stated.

Over the past year dental cleaning in Region Six has doubled.

This added service at the Cumberland Health Centre will take the region’s dental clinic to the eighth one being established.