The Ghana Dental Association has bemoaned the ratio (1:58,400) of 1 dentist taking care of 58,400 patients in Ghana, a staggering figure that leaves entire communities vulnerable.
The GDA says most dental doctors do not want to go and work in the hard-to-reach areas because those areas lack social amenities, stating that it is a big challenge confronting them. They are putting in place measures to get them some incentives to motivate them to accept postings to such places to prevent quackery from invading and destroying their profession.
Speaking at the 34th Annual General Congress held in Koforidua, the President of the Association, Dr. Cecilia Kakraba Quarshie, said the clustering of services in urban areas has unintentionally created a void in peri-urban and rural centres, and quackery has marched right in and filled it.
Dr. Cecilia Quarshie noted that the dental doctors in Ghana is insufficient. They need financial support to train more dentists to bridge the gap between dentists and patients, enabling them to render quality healthcare services to all Ghanaians.
“This year, the GDA is rightly focused on awareness, action, and accountability. We must:
•Intensify public education in clinics, schools, media, and online
•Educate patients on the importance of seeking care from licensed professionals
•Hold ourselves to higher standards of honesty and integrity,” she outlined.
Dr. Kakraba Quarshie then called on the Corporate sponsors and partners to invest in mobile clinics, outreach, and education.
•Policymakers and regulators should support decentralized services and enforce licensure laws.
•Law enforcement and the Ministry of Health should help them monitor, report, and prosecute offenders—even if they are within their ranks.
Dr. Cecilia Kakraba Quarshie then applauded her members for providing quality healthcare delivery to their clients and pledged that her outfit would do its best to reduce the activities of the quack dentist and, if possible, drag them away from the system to save the lives of those suffering from dental issues in the country.
The Oyokohene who serves as Adontenhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Osei Bonsu on behalf of Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area assured the leadership of the Ghana Dental Association that they will put in place measures to eradicate the unqualified dental practitioners from the area because they value the lives of their people.
