Dentists can create new jobs

Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus on Tuesday said increasing the number of dentists in TT could create employment for other people.

In her contribution to debate on a motion to approve the Dental Profession (Amendment to the Schedule) Order 2017, Baptiste-Primus echoed Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh’s statement about only 28 dentists in the public health service and some 137 dentists being urgently needed.

She disagreed that the filling of these vacancies by students from UWI’s School of Dentistry in Mona, Jamaica, would cause any locals to lose their jobs. Baptiste-Primus said these people could fill positions which locals are not contesting.

She said if these people go into private practice, they could generate employment for other people in their offices.

Baptiste-Primus said, “There is no reason for opposition to this amendment.”

Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen questioned whether there was proper consultation with the Dental Council on this matter. He disagreed with a view by Baptiste-Primus that the Council was supposed to carry out the health minister’s directives. Ramdeen said this could open the door to aggrieved people taking legal action. Claiming there was a lack of information about the level of consultation on this issue, Ramdeen argued that senators, “can’t come down on either side of the fence” because they do not know what lies on either side of the fence.