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Report: Dental Charity Trip
Nepal 2006
Dr. Sapphire Gan Tsering
Team Leader
On 23rd March 2006, a
team of volunteers consisting of 7 dental surgeons and 1 engineer departed
from Singapore
to Kathmandu,
Nepal
for a 10-day dental charity trip. In Kathmandu,
the team was joined by 1 Nepalese dental surgeon, 1 Croatian medical
doctor, 1 American medical nurse as well as many local volunteers. The
planning and coordination for this charity trip only started in
mid-December 2005 and the smooth-running of this trip was amazing for such
a short planning period. Under the invitation of Ka-Nying
Shedrup Ling Monastery and Rangjung
Yeshe Shenpen, Dental
Charity Trip Nepal 2006 aims to provide free basic dental treatment to the
rural villagers who have limited (if any) access to dental treatment; let
alone have the financial means to afford it.
The dental camp was held at 3
villages: Shivapuri, Pharping
and Vajra Varahi. The
team spent 2 days at each of the villages with a rest day in between each
village. The aim of the dental team is to provide basic dental treatment
acute conditions. Thus, most of the treatment rendered was extractions and
simple fillings. A number of minor oral surgeries were also performed.
At the more rural village
of Shivapuri,
most of the condition seen was generalized severe attrition with associated
pain and sensitivity. In Pharping and Vajra Varahi, grossly carious
lesions were seen in most cases. The patients were from all walks of life;
from 3 year olds to those more than 80 years old and from monks to farmers
to orphans. A total of 946 patients were seen in 6 working days. This
dental camp was also featured in a number of local newspapers.
Aside from work, the team also
managed to explore the local lifestyle during the rest days. Among many
things, the team did yoga under the morning sun, sampled delectable local
cuisine, watched sunrise over the Himalayas and, of course,
shopped and shopped and shopped! The team also managed to visit a typical Newari household thanks to the invitation of the local
dental surgeon, Dr Kranti Prajnapati.
The warmth and hospitality of the locals touched us all.
We wish to thank His Holiness Phakchok Rinpoche and his
family for being given the honour of conducting
the dental camp. We also wish to thank Rangjung Yeshe Shenpen and especially
Mr. Samten O’Sullivan, the coordinator from Nepal,
for the countless hours spent in ensuring the dental camp ran smoothly from
the preparation stage up until the end of the trip. Many thanks to the
enthusiastic and ever-energetic local volunteers which includes the group
of monks and nuns from Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery, Nagi Gomba, Asura
Cave
Temple
and Palnyingda Zundrel Mindrol Norbuling Monastery.
Special thanks to: Dr Myra
Elliot for generously lending us the dental equipment needed, Dr Kaan Sheung Kin for being
such a staunch supporter of this trip and Singapore Dental Association for
all the help and support in handling the donations. Not forgetting all the
generous donors and well wishers who range from large associations to young
teenagers. The team truly appreciates each and every contribution without
which this trip would not have materialized.
Tashi Delek!
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