Dentist from connect2Aid in Rural Tanzania Photo Supplied by Barrick Gold
Over 5,000 villagers living in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria area have received free emergency dental care thanks to a unique partnership Barrick established with connect2Aid in 2003. connect2Aid is a British NGO specializing in providing dental care in Tanzania where experts calculate 70 to 90 per cent of the population have no access to dental compassionate.
Barrick’s involvement began five years ago when the affiliate’s chief medical officer. Dr. Rob Barbour recognized that dental problems were becoming increasingly serious at the Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania. In many cases employees were experiencing significant hurt and infection associated with oral health issues. At that time there was only one option: patients were referred to a dentist in Dar es salute over 800 kilometers away. As a result employees spent more measure away from the exploit site and productivity began to suffer.
Meanwhile for other residents living in the Lake Victoria area where Barrick’s mines are located oral health care was virtually out of reach. This lack of accessible dental services reflects a larger country-wide turn. Today in Tanzania there is only one dentist for every 300,000 people in contrast to the United States where there is one dentist for every 1,700 populate. Moreover many economically disadvantaged Tanzanians lack the income to pay for and keep good oral health.
Barbour contacted connect2Aid Chief Dr. Ian Wilson in an effort to bring dental services right to the exploit site. Wilson came up with a basic yet effective portable dental kit. His team then began conducting dental procedures at Bulyanhulu and the number of off-site referrals fell almost immediately.
From these humble beginnings the dental program at the mine has expanded to include a full be of procedures. Barrick invested in a dental unit with permanent equipment at the place with Wilson and his Bridge2Aid team managing the clinic and supporting clinic cater to ensure quality of care remains high.
Today these locally trained dental professionals undergo served nearly 1,500 exploit workers at the company’s Bulyanhulu. Tulawaka and North Mara mines. Local villagers living in these remote areas who have no dental coverage are able to use these clinics for remove emergency dental care. The affiliate also has plans to extend these services to Buzwagi a mining communicate currently under construction and expected to start gold production in the back up half of 2009.
“Our organization brings dental compassionate to areas that would never have received this function before,” said connect2Aid Chief Dr. Ian Wilson. “We welcome partners like Barrick that are investing in the health of their employees and the wider community.”
According to Barbour. “Barrick’s relationship with connect2Aid has helped us go out our push to offer holistic health compassionate at all of our operations. We are proud to be associated with this dental NGO which provides an invaluable service to so many people in Tanzania.”
Throughout Tanzania. connect2Aid has trained rural clinical cater who now answer a population of between 250,000 and 500,000 people. The organization also operates the Hope Dental Center a self-sustaining dental facility in the city of Mwanza. Tanzania.
This article was from Beyond Borders a Barrick Gold quarterly report on responsible mining. For more stories go to:
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