Dear Registered Member
During this time of the year, under normal circumstances, we usually look forward to the festive season, taking a break to enjoy the fruits of the hard work put in during the year but unfortunately 2020 has been a different and very difficult year.
Apart from the devastating loss of lives of our loved ones, friends and co-workers, the economic and social disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic led to job losses, salary cuts, downsizing and even closure of businesses.
It has been 10 months since the report of the first Covid-19 case in South Africa and despite all the drastic measures we have taken to fight this virus, the number of positive cases and deaths is still rising and the most stressful part is that life needs to go on.
The office of The Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) has made sure that the council’s duties are carried out regardless of the circumstances.
A new laboratory inspector was appointed on the 1st of March 2020, whom has done a commendable job in clearing the backlog caused by the departure of his predecessor and the Covid-19 national lockdown.
The inspectorate has managed to inspect a total of 92 dental laboratories across the country despite the challenges caused by the pandemic and the overall rate of compliance was 87%, which registered members should be commended for.
These inspections have been vital for gathering information on how Covid-19 has affected the dental technology profession, how some members have dealt with the pandemic and also to identify common issues that result in non-compliance and even erasure of dental laboratories from the register.
According to our records, fortunately there are no dental laboratories that were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but rather some of the big laboratories had to downsize and let go of some of their employees.
Surprisingly, there were about 15 newly established and registered Dental Laboratories since the beginning of 2020 to date, beating the odds and not only surviving this difficult year but also being able to slowly grow their clientele.
Illegal laboratories are a big concern to all registered members, SADTC and a top priority for the inspectorate. Registered members need to understand that due processes need to be followed, formal complaints need to be lodged with substantial information, but if you refuse to get involved and refuse to share information then there is little that the inspectorate can do, we need to work together to eliminate this massive problem of illegal laboratories.
It is quite evident that the majority of members of the profession do not have a copy of the Dental Technicians Act, and even those who do, do not read it.
We would like to remind you of the paramount significance of familiarising yourselves with the laws and regulations of the Dental Technicians Act to avoid unnecessary conflict and deregistration of your names and laboratories. The profession is governed and regulated by the Act which also empowers the Council.