Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on October 12 said the government is keen on setting more government dental colleges in the country.

"The government also wants private dental colleges to deliver quality services. The dental council can play a crucial role in monitoring and enhancing the quality of these services," he added. Choubey was speaking at the 11th International Dental Students and 5thDental Surgeons Conference organized by Dental Students Welfare Association of India and Dental Surgeons Association of India at Lady Hardinge Medical College, here.

The minister further emphasized that all the dental students and surgeons needs to create more awareness about oral hygiene and related diseases in the country. He also administered the oath to the dental students to work in rural areas for 15 days in a year. Choubey highlighted the recently launched Ayushman Bharat-PradhanMantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) health assurance scheme which offers Rs 5 lakh rupees per family. The scheme targets to benefit over 50 crore people across the country. "The services will include more than 1,300 procedures covering pre and post hospitalization, diagnostics and medicines. The beneficiaries will be able to move across borders and access services across the country through the provider network," Choubey stated.