The government is investing “well over half a million US dollars” in a mobile dental unit to bring on-site check-ups and treatment back to Anguilla’s schools.
The move comes following concerns about deteriorating dental health among the island’s young people, according to education and youth minister Shellya Rogers-Webster.
Speaking at a government press conference on 12 October, she described the issue as “a top priority” and said the money for the purchase will come from her ministry’s capital budget.
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During school visits in recent months, Rogers-Webster said she had observed dental health problems among students, despite free dental care being available to children under 16.
“While access to dental care remains free, one of the challenges that has developed over the last… five plus years now is that there is no mobile dental unit based in the schools,” she said.
“When many of us were in school, there were mobile dental units that came to the school, and children were were able to get their check-ups and their cleaning on site. That no longer happens.
“We are seeing the deterioration of dental health in our schools, as obviously parents are very busy and often don’t have the the time or maybe the support to be able to take their children to the the clinic.”
While it is being funded through the Ministry of Education, the purchase of the retrofitted mobile dental unit is taking place in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
“This retrofitted facility is going to cost the Government of Anguilla well over half a million US dollars, so this is a significant investment and I don’t want persons to take this for granted,” the minister said.
She said the unit will provide guaranteed dental care for all students, no matter their social economic status.
The minister thanked Evans McNiel Rogers, ministerial assistant in the Ministry of Health, and health services commissioner Malcolm Webster for their support.
She said more information will be provided in the coming months “once the the unit is actually on the ground”.
Under Anguilla’s Health Services Fees and Charges Regulations, resident children under 16 are exempt from fees for dental services.
