Quiet RAWCS achievers visit Pacific Islands for the THIRTEENTH time.

The RAWCS team of dental volunteers from the Rotary Club of Ballarat West (D9780) went to Rarotonga (Cook islands) for a two week visit in late October 2008. They accomplished an amazing set of seven initiatives in the dental department of the Cook Islands hospital, and still found time to disburse a container of school books, computers, audiovisual and medical equipment provided by the Rotary  DIK depot in Geelong, Victoria. They even left (and set up) the shipping container to provide much needed storage space in the dental department.

The team included

• Dr David Goldsmith (dentist, team leader)

• Dr John Williams (dentist, workshop and surgery  on Titanium surgical  implants)

• Dr Toni McNicol orthodontist

• Bill Davies (dental prosthetist, workshop on orthodontic processes)

• Peter Copp (Dental equipment engineer), Georgia Copp and Amanda Riches.

• Camille Lewis, Julie Taylor and Michele Holian (Dental Nurses)

• Lloyd Gray (builder).

Several of these volunteers (providing their own funding and using their annual holiday leave) had undertaken a remarkable thirteen trips to this time.

Previous visits

The team had visited Tonga each year since 1996, working on helping the staff of the dental department at Vaiola hospital (Nuku'alofa, Tonga) set up a nationwide dental facility, equipped and educated to cope with the 21st century. This year, the RAWCS team was given two entire dental surgeries by a retiring Melbourne dentist Dr.Raye Darrer.

Discovery visit June 08

Dr David Goldsmith felt that need would be greater in Rarotonga than in Tonga, and undertook (with Peter Copp) a needs assessment visit in June this year. He liaised with the Rotary Club of Rarotonga and the dental department of the Cook Islands hospital to see what the needs were and what was feasible. They then planned the acquisition of equipment on the wish list, some of which would be donated, and some purchased.

Other dentists, dental supply companies and Rotary (2 matching grants from the Rotary Foundation, the Rotary Clubs of Ballarat West and East, the Rotary Club of Doncaster Sunrise, and the Rotary Club of Rarotonga) were enthusiastic to support this initiative.

An incredibly filled container was packed at the Rotary DIK sheds in Geelong. It included not only all the requested equipment, but Books for the Cooks,  as well as hospital equipment for the Rarotonga hospital, and equipment needed for the seven major initiatives of the planned program.

Rubber time

Unfortunately, timing, always the essence in what amounted to a quasi military movement, is not a high priority in the Pacific. The container was due to arrive before the team did (October the 24th), but that was a bit of a pipe dream. However having to wait on a Pacific Island is not generally much of a penance, and with many years of experience, David and his team knew to accept that which you cannot change, and to make the most of it. They were able to set up plans for action when the container came.

Make-overs for the dental and the orthodontic departments

The container fortunately arrived a few days later, and the team swung into action. The clinical rooms donated by Dr Darrer were set up, (two chairs, X-Ray equipment, air-conditioning etc.) and the other 5 clinical rooms were renovated and refurbished with new shelving and cabinetry.  A real Make-over for the dental department!

The dental prosthetics department was also given a Make-over.  A new room was developed which included a chair and two sinks, and once in, it was used for an ongoing workshop run by Bill Davies for the remainder of the two week trip.

An enormous amount of donated dental equipment was disbursed, installed and in-serviced. Particularly notable items included a new Rotadent mobile treatment unit, built by the Rotary Club of Newburg in USA, for the Cook Island Flying dental service. The 15 Cook islands are widely spaced over 2,000,000 Sq. Km of ocean -( the flight from Rarotonga to Manihiki island takes over 4 hours!) and a Rotary developed children's wheelchair from the Rotary Club of Scarborough WA.

Clinical Work and Educational Focus

 Donation of equipment is very important, but essentially the most important aspect of this trip was the educational focus.

1. Orthodontist, Dr Toni McNicol examined some 70 cases of children needing tooth alignment and designed 35 plates to correct these abnormalities.  Bill Davies then worked with Cook Is. Technician Jimmy Area and Toni to fabricate over 30 removable plates. These are the first orthodontic plates to be made in the Cook Islands and materials were left to continue this treatment.
2. Dr John Williams placed a Titanium dental implant fixture to be used to anchor a replacement for a missing upper front tooth on a patient. After osseo-integration a tooth will be added to this fixture. Dentist Aroiva  Akama assisted with the surgical procedure and additional Titanium implants were left to continue this work. Another first for the Cook Islands.
   
3. The secondary college on the Outer island of  Mauke was the target of one of the ancillary programs Books for the Cooks. DIK and others supplied 54 boxes of books, 14 computers, boxes of teaching aids and equipment from a designated wish list, down to kitchen utensils.

The future

One of the Cook Islands dental technicians, Jimmy Areia may well be able to come to Ballarat for further training, if funding can be arranged. David's team went to Aitutaki Island on a needs assessment visit of this outer island's hospital, dental clinic and schools for a possible future Rotary project in 2009. The team is certainly keen to go, Aitutaki is keen to have a visit, and knowing the determination of this group, I think it will happen.