All smiles, thanks to Project :D

Retiree is one of 51 beneficiaries of dental initiative for the low-income

By Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 2 Jul 2012

THREE months ago, Mr Teng Fook Wing could eat only soft, overcooked food as his 20-year-old dentures no longer fit properly.

But yesterday, the 81-year-old retired plumber was all smiles when he received a sparkling new set of false teeth - and looking forward to eating his favourite fried kailan and broccoli.

He is among 51 residents in the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division who have benefited from Project :D (pronounced 'project smile'), an initiative to bring subsidised treatment to low-income residents with dental problems.

The project was piloted by Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah in April. Since then, grassroots volunteers have knocked on doors in two rental blocks to identify residents who qualify for the nationwide Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) by the Health Ministry.

This scheme allows people over 40 who live in a household with a monthly income of no more than $1,500 to receive subsidised care at private general practices and dental clinics. Formerly known as the Primary Care Partnership Scheme, it was renamed and the qualifying age limit and income level revised in January to allow more to benefit. As of April, there were 100,000 people on the scheme islandwide. More dental clinics in Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru have signed up as partners too, with 10 now taking part.

While residents who meet the income requirement enjoy subsidies that bring their medical bills closer to those at polyclinics, Q&M Dental Group's chief operating officer Raymond Ang said that the elderly and poor living in the rental blocks might still find it tough to foot the bill.

Q&M's Tiong Bahru branch as well as Chua Kay Hian Dental Surgery, the two clinics partnering Project :D, have gone one step further by offering residents on the scheme special services and rates.

For Project :D residents like Mr Teng who cannot afford the more pricey procedures, Ms Indranee said her team would help them get funding through ComCare - which gives temporary financial help to needy residents - or the division's welfare fund.

The Agency for Integrated Care, which administers CHAS, intends to work with the grassroots in other constituencies to identify more residents who could benefit from CHAS, said its chief operating officer Wong Kirk Chuan.