MITESH Badiani, the founder of a United Kingdom (UK)-based dental organisation, Smilestar, has commended their partnership with Cimas Health Group for successfully providing free access to oral healthcare to remote and underserved communities in Matabeleland North province.
Smilestar, a charity dental organisation, partnered Cimas Health Group, Zimbabwe’s longest established private medical aid society, leading health and wellness service provider, through its dental unit to conduct a two-week dental outreach programme that ended yesterday.
The dental outreach was aimed at providing essential oral healthcare services to underserved communities in Matabeleland North province.
As part of the dental outreach programme, Cimas Health Group, in addition to providing its doctors, also offered its fully equipped mobile clinic for free.
The mobile clinic, according to Cimas Health Group, allows delivery of the exact level of care one gets at a high-end dental clinic.
The Smilestar and Cimas Health Group doctors, assisted by Victoria Falls-based Doctor Blanch, provided free dental care and treatment offering restorative work, periodontal treatments and simpler endodontic cases that completed in a single visit set-up.
The outreach programme commenced last week at Chinotimba Medical Centre in Victoria Falls, where treatment was provided for four days.
After the successful Victoria Falls mission, the medical team from March 17 up to 20 was in Hwange offering dental services stationed at Hwange Miombo Safari Camp in Dete.
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In an interview, Badiani said the collaboration with Cimas Health Group enabled a successful delivery and outcome of their desired results for the dental outreach in Zimbabwe.
“Cimas Health Group’s support, including the provision of its doctor, Alan Gura, a nurse and a fully equipped mobile dental clinic, significantly enhanced our ability to deliver quality care with more treatment options for the local population,” Badiani said.
“Such a set-up allowed us to offer much better services as we were able to refer for restorative treatments and simple root fillings work to Dr Alan Gura, ensuring more comprehensive dental care for the communities we served.
“We have not been able to offer such a service in our previous outreach programmes. This is how I envisage the future of Smilestar all over the world, where a mobile dental clinic accompanies our team in every outreach we undertake.”
He said Cimas Health Group’s contribution had significantly enhanced the quality and efficiency of the care they delivered during the outreach.
“Previously, I have worked with companies with mobile dental clinics and none have had the equipment, materials and expertise of the local dentist doctor Alan Gura and his Cimas Health Group team were able to provide,” he said.
Badiani also applauded UK-based Zimbabwe-born Mark Cockburn for playing a key role in making the Smilestar trip to Zimbabwe a success.
He highlighted the vital role played by volunteers in sustaining the Smilestar outreach programmes.
“Smilestar relies entirely on the dedication of volunteer dentists and support staff, who self-fund their trips,” Badiani said.
“For this outreach, the volunteers generously committed up to two weeks of their time and money to ensure the success of these programmes in Matebeleland North province.”
Reflecting on the Zimbabwean outreach, Badiani said most of the dental issues observed were preventable, highlighting the need for schools to incorporate oral hygiene and dietary education in their curricula.
He noted that limited access and affordability remain major barriers to dental healthcare in the province, pointing out that a single tooth extraction can cost nearly US$80, a price beyond the reach of most residents in the province.
When asked about the possibility of expanding the outreach to other regions in Zimbabwe in future, Badiani expressed enthusiasm, but stressed the need for strong partnerships.
“We would love to expand, but we require support from partners like Victoria Falls Safari Lodge or equivalent that can provide free accommodation, food, and transport for our team,” he said.
Badiani revealed that his passion for serving the underprivileged has been the driving force behind the commitment to global dental outreach initiatives.
“I was born in Kenya and raised in the United Kingdom, and it has always been a family value that we need to serve parts of the society all over the globe that are underprivileged and suffer the most,” he noted.
“I started this outreach programme under the Smilestar banner 15 years ago and Zimbabwe marks the 11th country we have reached, with this being our 34th outreach event. My heart belongs to Africa and hence why I spend 95% of my time in Africa.”
Meanwhile, Cimas Health Group chief executive Vuli Ndlovu said the Smilestar dental outreach programme aligns with their purpose to inspire healthier communities.
“We are proud to have collaborated with the UK-based Smilestar and other local partners who also came on board such as Chinotimba Clinic, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and Hwange Miombo Safari Camp for this initiative which is crucial in enhancing oral health awareness and accessibility, ultimately contributing to overall community well-being,” he said.
“Smilestar’s goal of delivering free dental care to those in need, particularly in areas where access to such services is limited perfectly aligns with our purpose at Cimas Health Group, hence the effective partnership for this outreach programme.”
Ndlovu said as Cimas Health Group, they believed that access to healthcare, including oral health, was a fundamental right, adding that they were committed to improving health outcomes and fostering healthier futures for all.
“Partnering Smilestar and providing our fully equipped mobile clinic for free that allows delivery of the exact level of care one would get in a high-end dental clinic, as well as our doctors is a testament to our commitment to extending essential medical services to underserved areas,” he said.
The Cimas Health Group, Ndlovu said, also believed that oral healthcare should be accessed across all corners of the country, especially remote communities where such services are often unavailable.
“Through this outreach with both our international and local partners, we were not only providing immediate dental treatment, but also educated and empowered communities with sustainable oral health knowledge that will benefit them for years to come,” he said.
Ndlovu said Cimas Health Group fully supported the government programmes.
“Our officials will on March 20 (yesterday) join the Ministry of Health and Child Care organised commemorations of this year’s World Oral Health Day, at Kusile Government Primary School in Lupane district, Matabeleland North province,” he said.
