Free dental treatment for over 100 villagers
BELURAN: Rural folks of Kg Koiboton and Kg Mononod here will have a lasting fresh smile after volunteers of Rotary Club Sandakan North, and staff of Sandakan Dental Clinic (Health Department of Malaysia) and staff of Wilmar PPB Oil Palms Sugut had jointly conducted free dental health treatment and education for the villagers, recently.
The two villages are located in the rural district of Paitan, Beluran and villagers are situated approximately 100 kilometers from the nearest Government dental services.
More than 100 children and adults from both villages have benefited from the programme which is labelled as ‘Community Service Programme – Dental check-up and education for rural children’.
The dental services include basic oral check-up, tooth extraction and basic oral care education for the children. The services conducted by five volunteer dentists including two from Rotary Club of Sandakan North and three from Sandakan Hospital Dental Clinic.
Apart from the five dentists, four nurses from Hospital Duchess of Kent Sandakan have also joined the project.
General Manager of Wilmar PPB Oil Palms, Kiaw Che Weng said that the project was part of the company’s Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and it aims to bring smiles to community living side by side their oil palm plantations.
He added that the objective of the programme was to help rural villagers to have access to oral healthcare as it is a persistent rural health issue in Sabah.
He commented that several factors that hinder access of the villagers to dental health care were identified such geographical isolation, lack of adequate transportation to the health care facilities, poverty, poor oral care education and health literacy.
Meanwhile, President of Rotary Club of Sandakan North, Koh Hong Lian said that the activity was part of the club’s many activities which were in line with the club’s purpose: to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.
Koh said he hoped the programme would help the villagers change their attitude towards dental care, especially children, and erase fear of seeking dental treatment.
He was happy to note that the programme was well received by the villagers and expressed his gratitude to the staff Health Department and volunteers from Wilmar who have spent time in taking part in the community service programme.