VIJAYAWADA: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (dental education) on Wednesday sanctioned 15 additional MDS (Masters in Dental Surgery) seats to the Government Dental College and Hospital (GDCH) in Vijayawada for the upcoming academic year 2023-24. Since 2010, the college has had nine MDS seats, three each in the departments of Periodontia, Conservative Dentistry and Oral Surgery.
The Union health ministry has now issued a letter to the principal of GDCH, sanctioning additional 15 seats, three each in the departments of Orthodontia, Prosthodontics, Paedodontics, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology in speciality courses, including Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Microbiology, Oral Medicine and Radiology, Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry.
For the past 13 years, the college had only nine MDS seats in three departments. However, after the officials of Dental Council of India inspected the facilities at the college in September 2022, they expressed satisfaction and sanctioned 15 MDS seats to the college.
GDCH principal Dr Kolasani Srinivasa Rao expressed happiness over the announcement and thanked principal secretary (health) MT Krishna Babu and director of medical education (DME) Dr Vinod Kumar for their cooperation. He said, “On behalf of the government, the DME has promised to provide equipment, including dental chairs and machinery.Currently, we are treating 300 outpatients daily. With 15 more MDS seats being allocated, we will be able to treat 150 additional patients every day.”
Dr Rao lauded the services of Dental Council Member Dr Mehboob Sheikh and Dr Satish Kumar Reddy in helping with the process. Meanwhile, the YSRC NTR president (health and medical wing) Dr Ambati Nagaradhakrishna Yadav congratulated Dental Council of India officials and others.
Boost to dental healthcare
Centre has sanctioned 15 seats, three each in the departments of Orthodontia, Prosthodontics, Paedodontics, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology in speciality courses, including Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Microbiology, Oral Medicine and Radiology, Prosthodontics and others