Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic (third from left) accepts a handover of dental equipment from Lennox Prescod, Director of the Massy Foundation, during the launch of the Massy/Ministry of Health and Wellness Dental Health Promotion Project for Secondary School Students yesterday. Looking on is Michelle Codrington (left), Acting Senior Dental Officer; Joy Adamson (right) of the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training and Ian Holder, principal of Parkinson Memorial Secondary School, with students who have been the first recipients of the programme.
Secondary students to get high quality oral health care
The Ministry of Health and Wellness, even in times of very scarce resources, remains committed to providing high quality oral health services for children.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic stressed the above, whilst delivering remarks at the launch and handover of equipment for the Massy/Ministry of Health and Wellness Dental Health Promotion Project for Secondary School Students, which took place in the conference room of the Frank Walcott Building yesterday. It was during that brief handover that the Minister noted, that to achieve further improvements in its delivery of service, the Ministry is willing to explore all options, including partnerships with the private sector.
“Being aware of the importance of oral health and having an interest in investing in the health of our nation’s children, the Massy Foundation has provided funding in the amount of just under BDS$23 000 for a dental health education programme,” Minister Bostic said in reference to the partnership.
“This programme has been designed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and will be conducted among third form students attending all government secondary schools. The intervention will involve oral health education, rapid screening and the provision of oral hygiene kits. The programme will be conducted by the staff of the Government Dental Service, over a period of two school terms,” he further revealed.
Speaking to the need for such a programme, Minster Bostic noted that a comparison of findings of surveys conducted by the Government Dental Health Services of Barbados in 1995, 2001 and 2011, revealed that there was deterioration in the oral health status of Barbadian children, over those time periods.
“While efforts were being made to address this growing problem in our primary schools, through an education and rapid screening programme, no such programmes were in place for the adolescent population in secondary schools. We therefore welcome his initiative, which will seek to address this deficit,” he said, whilst thanking the Massy Foundation, represented by Director Lennox Prescod, for its generous donation and its willingness to support dental health education in Barbados.