Best Practices
Practice 2
Title of the Practice
‘Community extension activities’
Objectives of the Practice
SRDCH, since its inception in 2000, has strived to carry out extension activities for the welfare of society and nation building in every way possible. SRDCH is located in the heart of the city and is the most accessible dental speciality hospital in Coimbatore. Yet, also mindful of the vulnerable population- far and near, the Institution has leveraged its services, through a multipronged approach of extension activities like establishment of peripheral centres, outreach camps, mobile home care delivery, organization of awareness programs, collaboration with other governmental and non-governmental organizations to render dental service, etc.
The Context
The Dental Council of India (DCI) and the TN Dr.MGR Medical University encourage the establishment of at least one or two satellite centres. SRDCH established its peripheral centres at Pachapalayam, Ganapathy, Vattamalaipalayam, Anaikatty, Krishna College, and SLM home. Although the establishment of these well-equipped and fully functional centres was challenging in terms of money, material and manpower, these challenges were efficiently overcome by the management – the SNR sons charitable trust, as it aligned with their philanthropic vision that successfully runs 16 other organizations significantly catering to social causes of society focusing on Health Care, Education and Service. The Department of Public Health Dentistry exclusively runs and monitors these centres as well as the other extension activities as the goal of this branch of dentistry is to prevent and control oral diseases and promote oral health through organized community efforts.
The Practice
SRDCH is committed to be the most preferred domicile for patient care in dentistry through extension activities for the welfare of society and nation building. A goal of this enormous magnitude can only be achieved by a multipronged approach.
SRDCH uses its geographic location to its maximum advantage to serve the people in its vicinity. SRDCH also ensures that its services not only reach the fortunate lot who reach the hospital but also strives to provide the best in dental care to the unreached. The Institution has expanded its boundaries through its multiple peripheral centres at Anaikatty, Vattamalaipalayam, Pachapalayam, Ganapathy and SLM home. The department of Public Health Dentistry posts qualified dentists, as per a roster, at these well-equipped centres to cater to the dental treatment needs of the local population. They provide emergency, primary and secondary level of preventive care. Patients who need tertiary level of care are referred to SRDCH.
SRDCH conducts dental screening and treatment camps regularly at schools, colleges, rural areas, old-age homes, orphanages, homes for the disabled etc, through the Mobile dental van. Each camp includes an oral health education program. Health education tools such as demonstration models, posters, pamphlets, videos are used.
SRDCH is a part of the ‘Deepam project’ where it collaborates with the Government Primary health centre camps for oral cancer screening. SRDCH has been granted permission to conduct dental screening camps for Corporation school children by the Coimbatore Corporation School authorities. It frequently collaborates with NGO’s like Lion’s club, and Rotary club for dental camps.
SRDCH has initiated an innovative ‘Mobile Homecare delivery’. It is a combination of Dental camp and therapeutic entertainment, where dentists exploit their ‘expertise in dentistry and entertainment’. Hospital/ Institutional visits are made and few hours are spent in the upliftment of the spirits of the patients and attenders through entertainment.
SRDCH considers observing global public health days as a great platform to disseminate oral health awareness and break the barriers of ignorance. Activities like awareness campaigns, dental outreach camps, guest lectures, oratory competitions, street plays, rallies, short films, tooth brushing demonstration, oral hygiene kit distribution are organised for World No Tobacco day, World Oral Health Day, Oral Hygiene Day, National Tooth brushing Day, World Aids Day. NSS-YRC-RRC units of SRDCH conducts massive tree plantation, blood donation camps, Swach Bharath campaigns etc
Thus extension activities – systematically planned and meticulously implemented, benefitting the community is ingrained in the service culture of SRDCH
Evidence of Success
In the academic year 2018 to 2019, 78 camps were conducted and 13,930 patients have benefitted. About 9836 patients have benefitted from availing services at the peripheral centres in the year 2018.
The peripheral centres also serve as an educational hub for the Undergraduate Interns who are regularly posted for community postings. It gives them an opportunity to observe, assist and perform dental procedures for the vulnerable population. It inculcates an attitude of community responsibility in their formative years.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
The COVID-19 Pandemic has imposed some difficulty in continuing the community activities of SRDCH. Strictly adhering to the GOI’s protocol, dental camps that usually provoke gatherings of large number of people have been avoided. However, with the IT facilities, awareness webinars are being conducted for the vulnerable population of school and college-going students. At present two peripheral centres alone are functioning for the benefit of the unreached.
Notes (Optional)
‘Community responsibility and extension activities of SRDCH’ is an excellent example of how ‘taking the extra mile’ can positively and significantly impact the lives of everyone in the community. SRDCH with its all-inclusive services in the Institution premises has enlarged its borders via the establishment of peripheral centres and dental awareness programs. A philanthropic mindset, a strong policy towards social responsibility and a drive to inculcate this attitude in the minds of the student work-force is the strategy to initiate, implement and sustain this ‘best practice’ in any Institution.