Bridge2Aid founder and clinical director, Dr Ian Wilson, spoke to Radio 4’s Sandi Toksvig as part of a Medics Abroad feature during her Excess Baggage programme.
Sandi also spoke to Dr Marie Charles who runs an organisation which places volunteer doctors and nurses in developing countries to impart their skills to local medical workers.
Ian talked about the challenges of access to basic dental services for people living in rural communities and how he used his dental skills and experience to start the Bridge2Aid Dental Volunteer Programme in Tanzania.
The programme takes teams of volunteer dentists and nurses to East Africa each year to train local health workers in emergency dentistry.
Both Ian and Dr Charles spoke about the importance of training local people in order to build capacity in the healthcare system.
You can still hear the programme by following this link to the BBC website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cv91pENDS
To take part in the Bridge2Aid Dental Volunteer Programme, visit the website – www.bridge2aid.org.