the Cité la Cure Area Health Centre, he will state if consideration will be given for the provision of denta…
(No. B/927) Mr L. Caserne (Third Member for Port-Louis North & Montagne Longue) asked the Minister of Health and Wellness whether, in regard to the Cité la Cure Area Health Centre, he will state if consideration will be given for the provision of dental services thereat and, if so, when and, if not, why not.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, dental services are provided through 71 dedicated dental clinics as well as the major hospitals outpatient dental units across the island. As per statistics available, Cité la Cure Community Health Centre serves a catchment population of some 7400 persons and is located within a sub urban area. Within a radius of 5 km, residents of Cité la Cure have access to several dental facilities namely, at – 1. Sainte Croix Community Health Centre – 1.4 km;
51 2. Dr. Mahmoodkhan Hyderkhan Mediclinic – 2 km; 3. Eastern Suburb CHC – 2.5 km, and 4. Baie du Tombeau CHC – 5 km. My Ministry is in the process of reviewing the expansion of dental services in underserved regions or higher volume centres where the demand for oral health would be higher. Given that the existing Cité la Cure Community Health Centre was designed primarily for general primary care, re-profiting the facility to accommodate a Dental Surgery Unit would require substantial infrastructural work and investment. Accordingly, establishment of a full Dental Unit at Cité la Cure Community Health Centre is not envisaged at this stage. My Ministry remains firmly committed to ensuring equitable access to oral health care for all citizens. Residents of Cité la Cure will continue to benefit from dental services available at nearby facilities and clear referral pathways to the closest dental clinics and Hospital Dental Units have been established to facilitate timely and convenient access to care.
Yes, you have a supplementary!
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. Considering the transport and other facilities that this region currently faces, may I request the Minister to consider this request of dental services for Cité la Cure which currently is an issue for all these inhabitants? Thank you.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, the building itself is not fit to accommodate a Dental Department into it. We will look at a later stage if we can try to increase the space.
The hon. First Member for Port-Louis North and Montagne Longue! PORT-LOUIS NORTH SSS – ENROLMENT TREND – CORRECTIVE MEASURES