The Oral Health Professionals Association of Ghana (OHPAG) has called on the Ministry of Health and the government to urgently recruit Registered Dental Surgery Assistants, often known as dental nurses, who have remained unemployed despite being trained and licensed since 2019.
These professionals, trained at the Ministry’s College of Health and Well-Being in Kintampo, play a critical role in dental clinics by registering patients, assisting in surgeries, and providing post-operative care.
OHPAG, in a statement, highlighted that other nursing professionals have received multiple rounds of financial clearance and postings in recent years.
This oversight has left many dental clinics across Ghana understaffed, with some facilities resorting to unlicensed personnel to fill gaps, contravening Act 857 of 2012.
In light of Ghana’s high oral disease prevalence, which impacts nearly half of the population, OHPAG stresses that recruiting these dental assistants would ease the strain on oral health services and advance the nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 targets.
The Association urges the government to grant financial clearance swiftly to enable these trained professionals to serve the public and enhance Ghana’s healthcare system.
Read the statement below:
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