BAYELSA NEEDS MORE HANDS FOR DENTAL HEALTH-Dr. Sagbe

Dr Solomon Sagbe 

There has been a call on Bayelsan medical students in Nigeria and in the diaspora not to shy away from studies of dentistry. He made the call while exchanging views with the Golden Pen Newspaper in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa.

Dr. Solomon Sagbe said it  has become  necessary to raise an alarm because of the backwardness of the oral health sector and the suffering of dentistry patients, due to lack of man power in the sector. 

Dr. Sagbe who was the head of dental health care in Rivers State before the bifurcation, following the creation of Bayelsa, himself and nine others came over which made a total of ten (10) dental health care practitioners as follows:

"Before we came over, I was the head of dentistry in Rivers State. Those who came over with me include Dr. (Mrs) Opukiri, she is now a Permanent Secretary,  two dental therapists,  George and John, we had two dental technologists, late Mr.Reginald Kenigbolo and one Ebiweni Ugo who just retired last year and we had up to three dental technicians, just 10 of us" the dental specialist revealed.

He went further to explain that his vision as the leader of that sector, he had offered suggestions to successive administrations to establish a dental hospital in the state, and establish a comprehensive dental centres in each of the Senatorial Districts, and oral health centres in every Local Government Area in the state."

Dr. Solomon Sagbe who started work as a dentist in Rivers State and came over to Bayelsa said, he was full of hope for the state, considering her position as a virgin land that had the advantages of development at all the sectors of health care delivery, especially dentistry.
 Looking into the future of the practice he stated thus:
"Most of us are not in active practice... the only persons now practicing are just three, one in Government House Specialist Hospital, one in Diete Koki Hospital and one in Niger Delta University  Teaching Hospital,  Because of lack awareness, some people don't know that Bayelsa has dental facilities; hence some go to Rivers and Delta states for dentistry, they use to ask them and direct them to come back to us. "
To sustain the practice of dentistry in the state, Dr. Sagbe called on the students of Bayelsa state within Nigeria and in the diaspora to study dentistry which he said is an open door for easy employment.