Hamdan's free oral health initiative for workers kicks off in Dubai

Saif bin Markhan Al Ketbi, Director-General of Office of Crown Prince of Dubai, on Tuesday officially launched the ‘Oral Hygiene Drive’ initiated by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, for basic workers. The announcement was made at a press conference held at Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre at Dubai Healthcare City.

The conference was attended by Major-General Obaid Moheir Al Ketbi on behalf of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, Dr. Amer Al Sharif on behalf of Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine and Dr. Khalid Mohamed Al Zahed, CEO of Strategy and Development Sector at  the Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai.

The initiative was launched in collaboration with the Permanent Committee for Labour's Affairs and is primarily aimed at raising health awareness and providing low-income workers with expensive oral treatment as they have no insurance to cover such treatments and since oral diseases require prompt treatment to protect gums and roots of teeth in order to avoid painful conditions.

Inaugurating the initiative, Al Ketbi said, "This humanitarian health initiative is aimed at spreading health awareness and conducting oral health surveys in order to provide necessary treatments and carry out surgeries for workers.

"As the world celebrated International Workers Day this month, we want to celebrate this event in the UAE for the basic category of workers in a different way. Ocelebration is not only limited to words and statements but we have decided to launch a humanitarian health initiative, the direct beneficiaries of which are workers in Dubai. The initiative basically addresses and covers the important features to ensure the oral health of eligible workers," he said.

"Since oral and dental treatments are highly expensive, the Oral Hygiene Initiative to support workers is expected to meet the urgent needs of low income category of workers. Also, the lack of health education makes them more vulnerable to mouth and teeth health problems. For this reason, we expect to achieve a big target related to workers' oral health", he further said.

"A campaign targeting workers kicked off on Tuesday and will continue without interruption for years until all workers get the benefit of the initiative, which is aimed at expressing our gratitude to workers who contribute to the process of Dubai Renaissance. It also confirms our appreciation and respect for this important category living on the soil of our beloved country," he continued.

"Sheikh Hamdan would bear all costs of the survey tests and necessary oral treatments for workers category in a number of phases. The first phase that lasts to the end of this year includes tests and treatment of more than 2,000 workers," he explained.

"Dubai Dental Clinic at Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine will conduct tests and surveys and identify the necessary non- cosmetic treatments required for workers. The clinic will be organising educational campaigns and field visits to target groups and then examine health problems of workers. The next step is to refer people who need treatment to the college clinics to provide therapeutic services," he elaborated.

"Sheikh Hamdan has instructed all local departments to cooperate with the initiative and provide necessary facilities to ensure that the survey tests are conducted in a smooth and easy way to achieve the best results as expected," Al Ketbi added.

Major-General Obaid Moheir has shed light on the humanitarian initiatives and services provided by the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in collaboration with different government and private organisations.

Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, Managing Director – Education, Dubai Healthcare City said, "The initiative contributes to the UAE Vision 2021 within the framework of Dubai Plan 2021 that pushes for a ‘City of Happy, Creative and Empowered People".

"The Dubai Dental Clinic, as part of its CSR commitment, has been active in conducting public health screenings through dental checkups, consultations and oral hygiene instructions. In 2014, more than 1,400 members of the community, including school students, workers, and children with special needs, were screened," he said.

"We know from our screenings for workers that the people in this segment of society have significantly higher oral health issues linked to socio-economic factors such as low income and low education.  What emerges from this is how necessary oral health initiatives are to ensure public health," he further said.

"We are committed to this initiative to improve oral health by driving action through screenings, by educating to increase knowledge, and by using the baseline measures to improve access. Through screenings at the Dubai Dental Clinic and through site visits, we will provide evidence-based approaches to the prevention and treatment of oral diseases," he continued.

"We also hope results from the screening will translate into research and in turn, help new treatments and cures," he added.

The officials also paid a visit to Dubai Dental Clinic to see the oral screening procedures of workers from different companies as part of the initiative.

(Hemepage image by Shutterstock)

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