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‘Dental care in Lucknow rural areas: Poor travel facilities, money issues big hurdles’
It was suggested that health services be decentralised and link units should deal with rural patients
One of the key factors why people from rural pockets – particularly the elderly – avoid dental treatment is poor travel facilities. As a result, they develop other ailments, said Prof Arvind Tripathi, HoD, prosthodontics at Saraswati Dental College, in a workshop organised on Tuesday.
Sharing a study ‘Barriers in seeking dental and geriatric healthcare’ done in the villages of Lucknow district, Prof Tripathi said, “Majority of the elderly complained that they lack adequate transport facility to reach hospitals for treatment. Secondly, the disinterest towards treatment is also because of financial issues.”
He said that the answer to this problem can be decentralised services with the help of link-up hospitals. “Dental problems are not just limited to tooth or mouth but a dental problem leads to multiple other illnesses including digestive problems,” he said.
Among the elderly population in urban areas, multiple visits to the hospital is the biggest hurdle. “Elderly in the city area find it cumbersome to visit hospitals multiple times. This is why decentralised units will work better to bring relief,” said Prof Tripathi.
The elderly are the most neglected when it comes to healthcare, and ironically, elderly themselves are ignorant of symptoms for any illness they might suffer from. It is therefore our responsibility to revise the model of healthcare to ensure elderly get due care and within time, said the doctor.
