By Dr Muattar Hanif
The pandemic
of Coronavirus has affected every domain of life. With the economic sector
being majorly affected, thanks to restricted Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) and reduced working hours. But a new beam of life has finally shined, as
many businesses have started to re-open among which included dental practices.
Though the
provision of dental care is still limited, with the majority of cases being
dealt via teledentistry. Only two or three cases of emergency dental cases are
being catered in dental clinics and that too on an appointment basis. These
clinics are trying their best to follow guidelines as suggested by
International dental bodies and that on a national level. The much-awaited list
of recommendations directed by the Ministry of National Health Services,
Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) jotted down each aspect of aerosol spread
and ways to avoid it. The major focus of any guidelines, whether its ADA, BDA,
or even NHSRC one, is to utilise maximum protection through protective
equipment. Hence many oral health
professionals are seen donning extensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),
such as N95 masks, face shields, gowns, and foot coverings, in addition to the
need for additional infection control procedures. But the question arises, who
will bear the cost of these safety measures?
The most
effective way to compensate for the financial damage being done during pandemic
lockdown is to start levy surcharge fees on customers. This is the technique
that the majority of dental clinics have applied. To help replenish stock
supplies and ensure the safety of patients and staff, some practices have
started to charge extra fees with around 2-10% increase per patient.
In their defence, many dental professionals blame the shortage of PPEs and the increase in their prices from suppliers, the real reason to increase fees. Dr. Asher Jamelle, Head of Department of Periodontology, Fatima Jinnah Dental College, who also has his clinic set up, said, “In this time of crisis and inflation, we would urge suppliers to bring prices of PPEs lower. If not, [then] we are forced to increase the prices of procedures.”
Such an
increase in cost has affected patients. A lady from Karachi told, “I am charged
more than usual for my treatment and already suffering from unemployment. How
can I put up with this much fees? It seems as if dental care has become the new
luxury.”
Another patient commented, “I don’t think all these fancy ‘Halloween’ costumes in the name of PPEs work. It’s just a new way to steal money from our pockets!”
Dr. Aqib
Mudassar, Head of Department, Oral Hygiene and Safe Dentistry, Institute of
Prevention and Control, Lahore commented over the situation, “I think that
dental clinics should bear the additional cost of PPEs to provide safe
dentistry. Without safe dentistry, we will end up closing our practice…PPEs
provide protection not only to the patient but to ourselves as well.”
Unfortunately
in Pakistan, the concept of insurance carriers with policies or programs for
PPE has not been developed yet, which ultimately pushes clinics to take such
extreme steps.
Commenting on the issue, Prof Dr. Nisar Khan, Secretary-General, Pakistan Dental Association told, “The cost of PPE has increased considerably, resulting in some dentists charging an extra fee to cover the increased expense. PDA (Center) in its recent council meeting has decided that we will offer free of cost PPE to dental professionals working in the emergency department of Public sector dental hospitals, all over Pakistan. The private setups should disclose any additional fees upfront to patients and document these changes in the patient record.”
Source: https://www.dentalnewspk.com/ppe-a-new-way-to-extract-money-from-patients/
