Dentists seek inclusion in frontline for vaccination

Dentists have  asked to be considered along with other frontline healthcare professionals for inclusion in the first batch of vaccinations against Covid-19.

As a result of the pandemic, they asked them to help with swabs  by  the  Social Security Fund (CSS) and in Health    Ministry clinics,

“We want to ensure  that the dental union is taken into account for vaccines. Where I work they do not vaccinate dentists. We know that not everyone will have to play in this first phase, but having distributed the vaccines equitably, some colleagues will be vaccinated, “said Dr. Mirla Patiño, who works at the Blas Daniel Gómez Chetro Polyclinic, from the Arraiján Social Security Fund.

Patiño clarified that they understand that it will not be enough for everyone, but having the certainty that they will be considered as first-line personnel, to which he highlighted, they belong, “they will feel motivated for having gone the extra mile.”

According to the plan defined by the authorities, the front-line personnel are the doctors of the intensive care units (ICU), that is, those who are in direct contact with patients with coronavirus.

But dentists and dental assistants maintain that they are treating people “symptomatic of respiratory problems” and allege that for that reason they are part of the “rapid response” staff because they care for the relatives of a patient infected with Covid-19 and they practice exams.

For its part, the Social Security Fund reported that they will not be excluded for being dentists and that as long as they have contact with the staff with Covid-19 they will be considered. The entity indicated that the vaccines are distributed equitably as far as possible.

The dentists’ request arose on Wednesday when  the vaccines were sent to private hospitals in Panama Oeste, Chiriquí, Veraguas and Darién.