BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced the launch of another scheme - Danta Bhagya - envisaged to provide free dentures to senior citizens belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families with complete tooth loss. In the first year, the scheme is expected to bring a smile to over 32,000 people. The chief minister also rolled out a new Oral Health Policy on the occasion.
Speaking after launching the scheme along with Health Minister U T Khader, Siddaramaiah said the oral health policy will have a positive impact on the state of dental health in the State.
“The Danta Bhagya scheme is first of its kind in the country, and Karnataka is the first state to have a scheme pertaining to the betterment of oral health. Considering that there are few government dental hospitals in the state, coupled with the fact that there is shortage of dentists at these hospitals, the new oral health policy will go a long way in determining the number of dentists at government hospitals. The budgetary allocation has also been done”.
Siddaramaiah and Khader also announced that taluk hospitals in the State will receive separate dialysis units. Khader told Express that in the first phase, the dialysis units will come up at 30 taluk hospitals. Rajya Sabha member B Jayashri, National Rural Health Mission director Atul Kumar Tiwari and others were present.