Dentists can smile as J&K government pledges financial support for private clinics

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has gone into overdrive to financially assist the dental surgeons in setting up their own clinics.

Under the Mission Youth scheme, the administration has announced to provide financial assistance of Rs 8 lakh to the unemployed dental surgeons to set up their clinics.

“An amount of Rs 8 lakh shall be provided as financial assistance out of which Rs 2 lakh shall be provided as Grant-in-aid and rest of the amount Rs 6 lakh shall be financed by the bank as a startup loan which shall be repayable,” the notification reads.

While no margin money will be required, financial assistance is being given on a group basis.

An official said the scheme is being launched to provide a source of employment to the hundreds of dental surgeons and paramedics. 

“We have currently scored of the dental surgeons and paramedics who are waiting for the jobs. The government had decided to empower them by providing financial assistance to set up their clinics in their respective districts,” he said.

In the first phase, the official said that at least 400 dental surgeons and 800 paramedics will be selected under this self-employment scheme. “The scheme will cover all the unemployed dental surgeons. In the first phase, 400 will be selected and will avail the financial assistance. All those should be the domicile of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The official said that the government has started the process of registering the dental surgeons and paramedics to avail the benefits under the scheme. “We are expecting a good response to the scheme. We have set the process into motion and this scheme is a part of the government’s mission to improve the health care in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Scores of dental surgeons have been on a protest demanding jobs.

Protesting surgeons said their employment woes have not been addressed since 2008 when the government last officially advertised posts for dental surgeons in the health department.

Repeated attempts to contact assistant director of employment did not fructify as she was not available for comments