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Globe-trotting dentistry
This dentist is still getting on a plane, providing dental care to those in dire need
courtesy of Dr. dewji
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ike other dental clinics across Canada, Dr. Hasnain Dewji’s pediatric practice was shut down mid-March 2020, re-opening nearly three months later at the end of June. The closure affected the young British Columbian patients at his two clinics: ABC Dental in Mission and Abbotsford Children’s Dentistry, as well as clients in the Northwest Territories, where he is an associate pediatric dentist. Dewji resumed his 10-day, monthly trips up north last October. Each trip was an odyssey of byzantine proportions with flight cancellations, delays of up to three days, overnight stays in places en route like Edmonton, then mandatory COVID-19 testing upon arrival. Early this year, Air Canada suspended flights to Yellowknife, and Dewji had to source flights through airlines like Inuit-owned Canadian North and the ultra low-cost Swoop. “Flights,” Dewji says dryly, “are a nightmare.” It’s a bit of a nightmare for Dewji’s patients as well, who often have to fly into Yellowknife for dental care from isolated northern communities across Canada. Delays caused by COVID-19 have resulted in a backlog of patients and “what teeth we could have saved six months ago are now un-saveable,” Dewji says. A brother and sister pair, for example, spent nearly a day in the dental chair. One sibling needed 16 fillings and two extractions while the other one required 12 fillings and one extraction. The lengthy procedures were anxiety-inducing, but “everybody was really happy afterwards,” Dewji says. Like clinics across the country, Dewji and his dental staff are making other adjustments to ensure COVID-19 isn’t transmitted within the office. Pre-COVID, a trip to the pediatric dentist might mean an outing for the entire family, including grandparents. Now, a parent and child must wait in their vehicle to be buzzed in only when the preceding patient is gone, and fresh Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is donned by workers. COVID-19 has significantly curtailed Dewji’s other passion: providing health care to children and orphans in war-torn
countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Dewji into action, even if it is from afar. Iraq through his charity, Global Kindness Early this year, Dewji began arranging Foundation (GKF). His 17th GKF trip to Iraq to send ventilators to help COVID-19 in March 2020 was derailed by COVID-19; patients in Lebanon. Following a surge he and 72 volunteers (dentists, physiin COVID-19 cases in the Middle Eastern cians, optometrists and support staff) had country after the Christmas holidays, to cancel plane tickets. Most of the tickets Lebanon (with a population of 6.8 million weren’t refundable and Dewji lost people) was in a state of economic $9,000 in cancelled flights. and medical collapse. More than Another trip, set for June 1,000 people died of COVID-19 2020 to Syria—the first in January and hospitals were Dr. Hasnain time GKF had organized running out of medicine as Dewji during a mission to that warhis last mission ravaged nation—was to Afghanistan also cancelled. Dewji’s just before the team had planned to pandemic hit treat preschool kids in a suburb in the capital of Damascus, travelling by road from Lebanon into Syria with equipment and personnel. Through GKF, Dewji has also led dental, medical, optical and hearing clinics in Peru, Tanzania, Kenya, India, Haiti and Cambodia. The volunteers often work 14hour days, ensuring each young patient benefits from the highest Canadian dental and health standards. Many of the children from places like Afghanistan and Iraq are also suffering chronic psychological well as equipment like BiPaps, a positive problems from war, something GKF is not pressure ventilator. “There’s quite a few yet able to assist with. export restrictions on ventilators right Dewji’s international work hasn’t now, so it’s been a bit of a challenge, but completely been curtailed. He managed I think logistically we’re getting somein early 2020 to travel to GKF’s clinic in where,” Dewji says. India, arriving one day before the southDewji is looking forward to late 2021, east Asian country closed its borders to when he can (hopefully) resume his incoming travellers. Dewji and his staff international endeavours alongside dental returned to Canada by the skin of their assistant wife Fatemah, who spends 400 teeth, arriving home two days before or so hours organizing each GKF mission. international borders were shuttered. “I’m addicted to volunteer work,” says the Since then, he has tried undertaking telefather of five, one of whom is also a denmedicine with the caregivers of young tist. Dewji is motivated by a devotion to Iraqi patients, looking at photos over the children who, no matter where they are in phone and making recommendations the world, want only the same two simple about whether the child might need things. “Kids want to be happy and playantibiotics or more invasive care from a ful. And the other thing I’ve noticed? If you local dentist. hand them an iPad—even if they never The dire situation wrought by have seen one before—they can figure it COVID-19 in other countries has spurred out. It’s hilarious, and mind boggling.” March/April 2021 Just For Canadian dentists
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