In September, two young specialists, who received their education thanks to the municipal program for supporting young doctors, started working at the Daugavpils Dental Clinic. This alone has made it possible to reduce queues within a few months, providing access to services for the youngest patients, who previously sometimes had to wait for years for treatment, according to the municipal portal.
Solving the problem of the shortage of pediatric dentists, a municipal support program was launched in 2019, the participants of which, future dental specialists, are paid for their training, while they undertake to work in the Daugavpils Dental Clinic for at least 10 years after successful completion of their studies, devoting at least half to the treatment of young patients your working time.
In total, over these years, 12 future dentists have received a municipal scholarship, and the experience of the first graduates shows that the program is working successfully and in the long term will help not only prevent a shortage of doctors, but will also contribute to the professional development of specialists at the Dental Clinic.
«Thanks to this program, children return to our city, to their homes, where they will work in the future. Working in the Dental Clinic, young specialists also train senior colleagues and introduce them to new methods and technologies. Every day we communicate with them and discuss how to improve working conditions, technical support and communication with children and their parents, and now the local government is implementing a one-time program that will significantly restore the capacity of the clinic over the next three to seven years, so that dentistry in our city, especially for young children, was effective and accessible“- noted the mayor of the city Andrey Elksnins.
Chairman of the Committee on Education and Culture Livia Jankowska added: «I believe that Daugavpils self-government made the right decision many years ago that specialists should be trained independently. The first estimate is that over the past couple of months, since we have two new dentists, the waiting list has decreased by 200 people, and this is significant. This program will continue, and in the summer of 2025, 4 or 5 new specialists will start working, and if 7 new dentists start working, this will not only reduce queues, but will also allow our Dental Clinic to continue to introduce new methods and use new materials».
Young specialists note that such municipal support plays a really important role, because the cost of training is quite high, and the program provides an opportunity to get an education even for those who have a great desire and interest in the profession, but do not have the financial resources. The prospect of returning to my hometown also makes me happy and inspires me to work with full dedication and develop professionally.
In total, 493,000 euros have been allocated in the budget of the Daugavpils municipality for the period from 2020 to 2029 to attract new dentists. At the same time, a program to support other medical professionals and a scholarship program for future teachers of exact sciences, which started this year, continues.
Source: www.gorod.lv
