Some pains are physical, and some pains are mental, but the one that's both is dental, wrote American poet Ogden Nash. Hundreds of patients are experiencing this, aggravated by the fact that the biggest government-run dental hospital in Mumbai is refusing to treat them, citing the unavailability of material for machines. For almost a month, the X-ray machines are lying idle, while the dental crown machines are lying unused for almost three months, at the Government Dental College and Hospital, which receives around 300 patients on OPD basis every day. With no other option, patients are forced to go to private dentists for treatment, which is burning a big hole in their pockets.

Patients turned away

Ramnavmi Mourya, a 54-year-old, resident of Sion, has been suffering from toothache for the past seven days. A carpenter, his wage is dependent on daily work. But Sunday night, the pain was so severe, that he closed his shop and rushed to Grant Dental Hospital for a checkup. He was told two decayed teeth needed to be immediately extracted. But when he asked for a date for this, he was asked to get the treatment elsewhere.