A trip to Savaii in 2018 has led to better dental services for this remote Samoan island.
During a trip to Samoa in 2018 to provide dental and audiological services, Philip Newall and his wife Cristy, of the Rotary Club of Carlingford, NSW, visited the more remote but larger island of Savaii to run a clinic.
As the dental X-ray equipment on Savaii was broken, children had to be taken to the capital of Apia on the smaller but more populated island of Upolu for this service. This involved travelling by bus to the port in Savaii, then taking a one-hour ferry trip to Upolu, followed by a one-hour bus trip to Apia. Undertaking this trip in a day is challenging and expensive for the many low-income families.
On their next trip to Savaii in 2018, Philip and Cristy were accompanied by fellow club member John Green and his wife Toni, who own and run a dental equipment supply company.
John noted that the facilities offered in the Savaii dental clinic were sub-standard. There was third-hand equipment, several items were broken and much of it had been poorly installed. He restored the X-ray service and, after discussing the requirements with the newly appointed young dentist, Dr Emosi, he decided to donate equipment to the clinic and to ship it to Dr Emosi. He also arranged to return to the dental clinic and install the equipment.
Dr Emosi oversees dental outreach services and wanted to offer dental clinics in about five locations around Savaii in order to better serve the community, particularly children.
John donated several items of equipment and consumable supplies to Savaii. With the help of other members of the Rotary Club of Carlingford, special portable dental equipment was constructed that could be transported to sites around Savaii. The usual heavy dental chair, with its associated drills, vacuum systems and water supply, were not suitable for this outreach work. It was necessary to dismantle the equipment and build self-contained systems to use with a portable chair.
Club member Bob O’Shea arranged shipping for the equipment and the Rotary Club of Apia provided a vehicle and driver to transport it from Apia to Savaii.
On his second visit in 2019, John brought tools to install a suction system with a compressor for the clinic and re-installed the main clinic dental chair, which was mounted in an inappropriate location.
Dr Emosi visited John’s factory in Sydney in 2024 to carry the plans forward. He provided a wish list, and after a great deal of effort, John managed to source and/or donate them.
The following items have now been shipped to Samoa, again with the help of Bob:
- A large compressor
- An Epson data projector
- A Ferrey compressor with air hose
- An airbag compressor with air hose
- A Sharp microwave
- Two amalgamators
- A TV with DVD player
- Towel holders
- Operating lights
- A folding dental chair
PICTURED: Dr Emosi examines a patient with the donated Portable Rextar Digital X-ray machine.
Beside these two large shipments, John has sent several smaller parcels with consumables and minor items to Samoa.
Dr Emosi and John are keen to raise awareness of dental problems and to encourage good dental hygiene in children.
In developing countries, tooth decay and gum disease can be a very significant problem. It can cause discomfort and, when severe, can cause loss of teeth and abscesses, which may lead to infections that are life threatening. Such conditions may also make it difficult to eat and could cause malnutrition.
Dr Emosi travels around Savaii giving talks to local groups and runs dental clinics in remote locations. Members of the Rotary Club of Carlingford have already provided one data projector and screen for this work.
However, the initial plan to visit sites around Savaii proved unsuccessful, so Dr Emosi obtained a large SAIC van, donated by the Japanese government, and with John’s help is using it as a mobile clinic. This will help promote dental health in Savaii and means children no longer have to make the long journey to Apia for treatment.
The Savaii dental initiative is part of the RAWCS Samoan Children’s Hearing and Dental Project (RAOAF) – Project 132-2019-20.
MAIN PICTURE: A mobile clinic enables Dr Emosi to travel around Savaii to promote dental health. The clinic also means that children no longer have to make the long journey to Apia for treatment.