Dr. Victor Eastmond, Chairman of the Caribbean Dental Programme (CDP), has called for an ease in taxes for the dental fraternity.
Eastmond, who was speaking at the CDP opening ceremony at Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, added his voice to those in sectors that have challenged the National Social Responsibility Levy, a tax imposed on goods imported into Barbados and on domestically manufactured goods. According to him, “I feel that if taxes are imposed on a profession to produce treatment, that is not a very good sign. As a health fraternity we should be giving the public the best service possible and to do that we need to have the best equipment and we need to ensure we have the continuing education to go with it as well. There is also a throw off from that, the Government may make money from imposing taxes on equipment coming in , they don’t want it duty free but they could make more money if we really had the best equipment here and we look at this country as a Health Tourism product . Maybe without the taxes people may come back to Barbados because it will not be that expensive to work in your country ,but we are deterring a lot of our own people from coming back and working here by this imposition placed on our profession . I would like to see that tax removed and the dentist will be able to buy updated equipment.”
He also stressed , “I am a prominent for continuing education in Barbados because a dentist who practices with his 20 year old degree is outdated and should never be allowed to practice and I’m asking the Ministry of Health to get up and really get legislation in place. Legislation needs to be put in place to have action. The Caribbean Dental Program has made some headway in other areas and one of the areas we have made head ways is getting certification for Dental Surgery assistants .We need to have our continuing education in place.”
The theme for CDP 2018 is ‘perfecting practice & Profits. The Caribbean Dental Program Inc. (CDP) was conceived as a Continuing Education organization in 2003 to serve the dental and medical fraternity. (NB)