The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) has been a strong and highly valued supporter of The MalDent Project since its inception.
In 2017, the Global Health Group of the RCPSG funded the flights for my initial scoping visit to Malawi, allowing me to see the existing dental clinics at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre and Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe. I was also able to participate in the first BDS Curriculum Conference that examined the feasibility of establishing a BDS degree programme at what was then the University of Malawi College of Medicine. That visit was the genesis of The MalDent Project, supported by £1.6m of core funding from Scottish Government International Development. The RCPSG was a named partner on the successful grant application to the Scottish Government.
Subsequently, the RCPSG HOPE Foundation funded the costs of sending a shipping container of donated dental equipment to Malawi, which facilitated completion of the refurbishment of the Dental Department at KCH by Dentaid and Henry Schein.
More recently, The MalDent Project team was keen to establish an equitable bi-lateral student elective study programme between the KUHeS BDS degree course and the University of Glasgow Dental School. Thanks again to the RCPSG HOPE Foundation, a major step forward was made possible in 2024 through provision of financial support for two Final Year KUHeS BDS students, Esther Khomba and Chifundo Banda, to undertake an elective visit to Glasgow. Over three and a half weeks they enjoyed a transformative experience, all of which was captured in three blog posts which can be viewed here, here and here.
The MalDent Project journey to date and the graduation of Malawi’s first home-trained dentists has now been captured in an article published in the most recent edition of the RCPSG magazine – College Voice. It has been written by Kat Hannah, RCPSG Director of Communications and Marketing, who met Esther and Chifundo during their visit to Scotland.
The issue can be viewed here and the article about The MalDent Project is on pages 22-27.
The support of the RCPSG for The MalDent Project has been longstanding and of immense value to everyone concerned. Grateful thanks are due to all in the College who have supported the team on the journey to date. We look forward to continuing collaboration.