Free dental services for Ren Ci Nursing Home residents is revived
With the approval from the Ministry of Health and Ren Ci Hospital, the free dental services for residents of Ren Ci Nursing Home is now back in operation after being suspended for more than a year due to the pandemic. Although the mode of operation has been adjusted to comply with the preventive measures, one thing remains unchanged.
Various instruments were repeatedly tested to ensure that they can function properly. The dental care visit to Ren Ci Nursing Home which was suspended for a year due to COVID-19, is now back in operation with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Ren Ci Hospital.
TIMA dentist, Dr. Tang Kok Weng: It’s not easy to be able to return to this hospital. Although we are still amid a pandemic, we feel that the needs of the residents have to be met. They can’t verbalise their misery, so, we have to alleviate their sufferings.
Conducting a dental care visit amid a pandemic caps the team at 8 people. The healthcare staff were not allowed to walk around at will. They could could only wait for the nurses to bring the residents to them at a designated location.
Meanwhile, to reduce the risk of infection among the residents, health screening and treatments were scheduled on the same day during the dental care visit to reduce the contact between the residents and outsiders.
TIMA dental assistant, Ee Shiau Hiong: At the beginning, we communicated with Ren Ci through Zoom to find out about the health conditions of the residents and are they allergic to any medicine. These are the necessary preparation work we have to do before visiting.
Ong Eng Hua, Executive Director, Ren Ci @ Bukit Batok St. 52: During the Covid period, we are not allowed to bring the residents out for the reason of their safety. I am very grateful to Tzu Chi for coming back to us to resume this much-awaited dental services for our residents.
Solving the oral health issues of the residents improves their quality of life indirectly. In the future, as long as the pandemic situation permits, Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) will continue to provide timely treatments to the residents in need.
