President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said the best way to address health challenges in Pakistan including dental ailments was to promote the importance of prevention over curative approach of medical treatment.
Addressing here at the convocation ceremony of Foundation University College of Dentistry, he said adoption of preventive practices against diseases would significantly help reduce the number of patients. President Alvi said dental diseases in the country could be largely overcome by educating people about oral hygiene through regular brushing.
He mentioned that proper oral healthcare also contributed to body’s natural defence mechanism, thus cutting down chances of several other diseases. He stressed the importance of especially educating children about dental healthcare at school to help them prioritize their own health.
In this regard, he said, the community involvement was important to spread the message and urged the doctors to demonstrate good communication and empathy while treating their patients. Dr Alvi lauded the professionalism of the country’s doctors and dentists for contributing towards improving the health of general public.
The president congratulated the young dentists, their parents and teachers on the landmark achievement and expressed satisfaction about the large number of women graduates. However, he pointed out that significant number of women doctors left their professions after marriage, thus inflicting a big loss of good human resource to the country.
Dr Alvi called for introducing a ‘feasible’ solution by the institutions such as encouraging part-time jobs for doctors to help them continue with their profession besides raising their families.
It was highlighted on the occasion that Foundation University College of Dentistry aimed to educate, research and contribute to the national and international community of dental professionals. President Alvi gave away medals to the distinguished graduates who bagged position in the field of bachelors of dentistry.
