Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 01, 2019 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health and by extension the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis continues to invest heavily in oral healthcare as it is integral to overall health and has drastic implications on several other quality of life indicators.
This was according to the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, Minister of Health, during the reopening of the Newtown Dental Clinic on Friday, March 01. Minister Hamilton touched on the issue of nutrients, noting that they are typically drawn from the foods consumed and enter the digestive and circulatory systems.
“The vital mastication process is heavily dependent on the quality of our oral health and is considered to be one of the most significant factors that could adversely affect the quantity of life. It is therefore, why my government invests heavily in providing free dental services to the people of this country, especially to the youth attending schools and universities,” said Minister Hamilton. “Poor oral health contributes to too many diseases that are prominent today, such as diabetes and heart attack. As a nation, and as we consider Universal Health Coverage, we work to bend the curve on all chronic diseases,” he added.
Minister Hamilton encouraged all to take the time to invest in oral care as this can reap significant benefits, not only to one’s dental health but overall health.
“Maintaining good health requires us to be multi-faceted in our approach and application of healthy lifestyles,” he said. “Since all diseases begin in the gut…it behooves us to be very conscious, very alert and very mindful of what we consume as food. And even when such food is best for ensuring our long and healthy life, we must ensure that contamination does not begin with poor oral health.”
Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, said that the reopening of the dental clinic is a significant investment in dental healthcare by the government for the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
It is “an investment by the Team Unity Administration to improve healthcare everywhere and which should pay dividends for us as a people,” said Prime Minister Harris.
With the reopening of the Newtown Dental Clinic there are now three operational public dental clinics in St. Kitts. There are also many private clinics across the island.