Health Ministry urged not to permit new Dental colleges:DCI

Manipal, Nov 17 (UNI) The Dental Council of India (DCI) has recommended to the Union Health Ministry not to give permission to open new dental colleges in the country during the next five years, DCI President Anil Kohli has said.

Speaking after presenting the awards at the 22nd Annual Pierre Fauchard Academy (India section), here last night, he said during his meeting with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss yesterday, he had urged him that the Ministry should not accord sanction to open new dental colleges as there was already acute shortage of faculty to teach the students.

During the discussion he had also stressed that young dentists joining the profession to work in Primary Health Centres (PHC) should be given a salary of not less that Rs 15,000 per month, he said.

With a view to improving the faculty standard, DCI had recommended that any teacher teaching in the dental colleges should present at least one research paper for qualifying for Reader's post, two research papers for a Reader to become Professor and presentation of more than three research papers to become Principal of a dental college, he added.

Dr Kohli said he had also urged the Minister that the Health Ministry should not approve opening of more Medical colleges in the next ten years.

Stating that due to the efforts of the DCI, the dental curricula had been revised and recognition given to Master degree in Dental Material course, he said adding the Council had taken a decision to allow the dentists from Manipal University here to do refresher courses.

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