Despite the healthcare system efforts to recruit staff, there is still no permanent dentist in Upernavik. But the village doctors travel to the surrounding villages to get things under control using the mobile equipment found in the dental clinics.
The lack of dentists particularly affects the settlements, says the chairman of Kullorsuaq’s settlement board.
Despite the healthcare system efforts to recruit staff, there is still no permanent dentist in Upernavik. But the village doctors travel to the surrounding villages to get things under control using the mobile equipment found in the dental clinics.
The lack of dentists particularly affects the settlements, says the chairman of Kullorsuaq’s settlement board.
The position is still available
The dental clinic in Upernavik has for several years had a permanent dentist who has only been at work three times a year and has only worked for shorter periods in the region, says naalakkersuisoq for health and disability Anna Wangenheim.
According to Anna Wangenheim, the position of dentist has not always been filled, but dentists have a regular recruitment round. She states that recruitment processes are ongoing, but the health service cannot say exactly when the position will be filled.
An employee at the dental clinic
Bentiaraq Ottosen also asked about the current staffing at the dental clinic in Upernavik, and Naalakkersuisoq for Health replied that there is a dental care assistant at the clinic.
– There is currently no dental hygienist employed at the clinic, and Landstandplejen works continuously with recruitment for the position, says Anna Wangenheim.
– Until the position can be filled, the dental care tasks are supported by a dental hygienist from another district. At the same time, we are recruiting for a position as a clinic assistant or clinic assistant, says Anna Wangenheim.
Portable dental equipment and temporary solutions
In the reply to Bentiaraq Ottosen, it was stated, among other things, that three children and young people needed dental treatment, while seven other children and young people also needed examinations.
Wangenheim also explained that the current legislation on dental care for children and young people makes it easy to prioritize and that they are always invited for examinations and treatments.
In addition, regional nurses regularly travel around with portable dental equipment.
– Patients with urgent treatment needs are given the highest priority and receive assessment and treatment after a professional visit.
– There is also collaboration with the health center in Upernavik and the health staff in the settlements on the treatment and follow-up of patients with problems related to dental and oral health, says Anna Wangenheim.
She added that ongoing activities were part of normal operations and stressed that it was not possible to say exactly when the position would be filled.
A health agreement
Naalakkersuisut for the disabled Bentiaraq Ottosen stated that Naalakkersuisut’s goal is to create a stable, lasting and coherent healthcare system.
– Naalakkersuisut’s objective is to create a more stable, sustainable and coherent healthcare system. Therefore, Naalakkersuisut has started dialogue with all the parties in Inatsisartut about an extended health settlement. The purpose is to ensure a broad political anchoring, so that the development of the Greenlandic Health Service can take place in a common understanding and with a long-term stable direction across electoral periods.
– A significant challenge for permanent staffing of the dental clinics is that
limited supply of dentally trained labour, says Wangenheim.
She pointed out that there are only a limited number of medically trained dentists in Greenland.
– This entails recruitment challenges throughout the country and especially in the geographically most remote districts, she says.
The Greenlandic health service continuously works to recruit and retain dentally trained personnel for the country, including in the outer districts, according to a reply to Bentiaraq Ottosen.
A big problem in the villages
Timotheus Petersen, Siumut, is chairman of the settlement board in Kullorsuaq, which with its approximately 400 inhabitants is Greenland’s largest fishing and trapping settlement, approximately 300 kilometers north of Upernavik.
According to him, it is very rare for a dentist to visit a settlement, so people in these areas often have to travel to Upernavik on their own.
– Dentist shortage affects not only adults, but also children.
It is therefore important that the healthcare system quickly find a solution to this serious problem.
Timothy Petersen says that he had to remove dentures himself, but when he tried to do so, his tooth broke and he had to travel to Upernavik.
