Dental Meeting with Bishop Isesomo.
The points to discuss with the Bishop were the issues raised in our meeting with the Medical coordination team and which needed either decision and action or contribution to proceed to the implementation.
The first one was the current situation of the Dental Clinic with the high number of staff but less work and at the end of the month supplies and salaries takes all the monthly income living no savings at all.
In regards this, the Bishop promised to send the issue back to the management committee, which is under the leadership of the Dean of the Cathedral to handle the case. That was actually the right procedure because it’s not his direct responsibility but he can advise the Dean and through him, the management committee concerning what to do.
Another point discussed was concerning Ringo’s possible move to study any time from now.
The Bishop is equally having deep concern about who can fit in Ringo’s shoes in terms of faithful management of the clinic as seen over the years, but still the move is of a great value because it will bear long lasting result for the sustainability of the Clinic.
In regard to that point I suggested the idea of calling the qualified dental technician we met in Aru to come to Butembo if we agree and he also accept when I go to Aru. The Bishop was favourable but no decision could have been taken without meeting the person we are talking about. The result was depending on the feedback from Mr Sosten in Aru.
Concerning the need to start a Clinic in Kasindi, the Bishop was favourable and suggested to contact the Arch-deacon about the availability of the Church land which is near the market in order to have the clinic in an active environment for the viability. He gave me the Arch Deacon’s number for follow up.
But as mentioned before the main obstacle remains the human resource first of all, and if we are to be effective to serve the Uganda-Congo area of Kasindi which is becoming highly populated we shall need more equipments, instrument, and material than whatever we have in Beni as suggested with Medical coordination. In regard to all those aspects we said that Kasindi will require proper investigation on the ground before making the final decision.
For a similar case as suggested in my previous message and approved by Graham, the idea of setting up a dental facility in Bunia, it will also require thorough investigation on the ground before making final decision, with the same consideration of getting a trustworthy human resource to serve the people in that place.
About the vision of starting the Dental section in the ISTM/Aru (The Medical school), we supported the suggestion of Dr Nigel Pearson of allowing for others to come in and be trained with the original two selected ie Ringo and Drumo.
The most crucial suggestion is in relation to the high need of having our own staff trained with more human resources needed in order to move ahead and reach out to more people in critical need of oral health services;
The idea was to allow the dental section to start with the minimum funds that we may have received by October, and this will mainly serve to give salaries to our staff members in particular, and others will benefit from the facilitation we shall make for the dental section to have teachers whenever needed and our coordination of activities, the equipping of the technical training facility (the Dental Clinic in aru) for regular practice for skills, technical advisory, etc.
Other details to be discussed with the ISTM leadership in Aru, but the bottom line is to have them start this year if possible.
A key thing prior to starting is to have a workshop with all the stake holders apart from the students, to discuss about how the dental section will function, distribute the roles of each staff member, with a clear description of their role and the average amount of funding needed to kick start the project. In the same workshop we’ll set up priorities to have the first things first, and others will follow as time goes.
From my point of view this was the most mind-opening meeting in relation to the big project of the dental school. In case this plan will not work, a workshop will still be the best venue to brainstorm and come up with another possible alternative plan.
The emphasis is therefore placed on organising a workshop prior to any final decision concerning the next move in relation to this major point.
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