(KPL)The Government of Japan provides grant assistance worth USD 300,000 for an oral and dental health project through its Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Project on March 22, in Vientiane.

The project supports a dental hygienist training course at the Public Health School in Vientiane Province by providing facilities and equipment that meet the necessary standards.

Mr. KOBAYASHI Kenichi, Ambassador of Japan to the Lao P.D.R., and Prof. Dr. MIYATA Takashi, President of Organization of International Support for Dental Education (OISDE), signed a grant agreement witnessed by ministry representatives.

Speaking on behalf of Organization of International Support for Dental Education (OISDE), Prof. Dr. MIYATA Takashi, President, said, "With the strong support of the Government of Japan, we have worked to establish a dental hygienist system to improve dental and oral health care in Laos. This project supports the operation of a dental hygienist training course at the Public Health School in Vientiane Province by providing facilities and equipment necessary for dental education and technical support.”

“The training for dental hygienists will improve the dental and oral care system in remote areas and prevent dental and oral diseases. We will make utmost efforts to improve the health situation for the people of Laos, in collaboration with Vientiane Province and the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Health Sciences," he added.

“In recent years, health indicators in Laos have shown significant improvement, but there is still much room for improvement in dental and oral health. Dental and oral diseases without proper treatment are known to cause other diseases; however, it is possible to prevent the occurrence and progression of these diseases. For this reason, there are health professionals specializing in dental and oral diseases, such as dental hygienists, worldwide. However, in Laos, the development of such human resources has been lagging,” Ambassador KOBAYASHI said.

“This dental hygienist training course is modeled after the dental hygiene education system in Japan, which is internationally acclaimed and aims to provide future dental hygienists with the knowledge and skills necessary for dental and oral treatment and prevention. We hope that this support will help to develop high-quality dental hygienists to tackle dental and oral diseases and will improve health indicators for local residents and for Laos as a whole,” he added.

Japan’s Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Project is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for economic and social development projects voluntarily planned and implemented by Japanese international cooperation NGOs in developing countries and regions, including the Lao P.D.R.

To support Lao socio-economic development goals in infrastructure, education, health, UXO, tourism, and more, the Government of Japan has provided more than USD 13 million via Japanese NGOs over the past five years. In shared efforts to address regional disparities in socio-economic development, Japan will continue to actively cooperate with NGOs to support initiatives to improve the basic standard of living at a grassroots level in the Lao P.D.R. to ensure “no-one is left behind”.

KPL