Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong has proposed the use of state hospitals to produce more dentists, to address the current shortage at state hospitals. More than half of the some 800 graduates in dentistry in Thailand choose to join private hospitals or to work independently for greater financial gain.

 

He said today (Saturday) that, since state medical schools are capable of producing hundreds of doctors each year, state hospitals should be able to accommodate students in dentistry and to produce graduates to meet the demand.

 

He said there is no need to invest in new buildings for dental colleges, as the existing facilities at numerous state hospitals have the capacity to train dental students.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-health-ministry-considers-dentistry-courses-at-state-hospitals/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-08-07

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Thai health ministry plans dental hospital in each province to boost care access
by Mitch Connor

 

 

Picture courtesy of University of Phayao.

 

In a bid to tackle the absence of adequate oral health facilities, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has unveiled a plan to establish a dental hospital in each of the country’s 77 provinces.

 

Dr Opas Kankawinpong, the ministry’s permanent secretary, underscored the urgent need for increased dental care coverage during a seminar, highlighting that with the current number of dentists, adequate provision of dental care to the country’s 70 million strong population remains a distant goal.

 

“We need to ensure our citizens have access to dental services at least 140 million times per year, considering that everyone should consult a dentist twice annually. Unfortunately, right now our existing dental infrastructure can only cater to 10 million annual visits — a mere 7.1% of the total need.”

 

Dr Kankawinpong expressed the ministry’s determination towards achieving comprehensive healthcare for Thai citizens, which includes robust oral health. He stressed the need for a significant increase in the number of both practising dentists and dental facilities to improve the citizens’ access to much-needed treatment, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-health-ministry-plans-dental-hospital-in-each-province-to-boost-care-access

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-08-07

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He said there is no need to invest in new buildings for dental colleges, as the existing facilities at numerous state hospitals have the capacity to train dental students.

Once trained they leave to work in the private sector, around me many private dentistry shops have recently opened.

Interesting topic as my 16 year old daughter has shown interest in becoming a dentist, here in Thailand. Starting off on your own business has to be very expensive, and locally seem to be everywhere. I didn't even realize that government hospitals do dentistry. Good news about being a dentist is she could go to the UK and get well paid even being an NHS dentist as she has a UK passport.