Two dentists who have brought dental care to thousands of people in Malawi were made Honorary Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow on June 12, 2023.
Vicky and Nigel Milne of Dunoon set up the charity Smileawi following a ‘life-changing’ trip to Malawi in September 2012 to assess dental needs.
Since that time, they have visited the country once a year, carrying out pain clinics and alleviating the suffering of many thousands of people who would otherwise have little or no access to dental care. They are also working side-by-side with Malawian colleagues to bring dental professionals together to share experiences and challenges and improve dental services for the population.
Vicky said, “When we first visited Malawi, we wanted to look at what dental services were available, what other help might be needed, and whether we could assist. We quickly found that dental services in Malawi were very poorly supported, yet our colleagues were resiliently carrying out dental treatment in incredibly challenging circumstances.
“That trip was life-changing, and we formed Smileawi, initially as part of the Raven Trust, and then as a charity in our own right, to work together with our Malawian colleagues to improve dental services.
“We’ve raised a lot of money through donations, enabling us to bring equipment to run an eight-chair, portable clinic that we take to schools, churches or existing clinics in rural areas. Over the years, we have also taken with us many self-funding volunteers – dentists, dental nurses and students from all over the UK and Europe.”
The couple, who met as students at the University of Glasgow, have also set up a biannual Smileawi conference in Mzuzu, enabling therapists, representatives of other charities, and the Malawian Dental Association to come together to share experiences and challenges
Smileawi is now building relationships with other like-minded organisations. Through contact with the Head of Glasgow Dental School, Vicky and Nigel have been able to engage with dental and healthcare charities, Dentaid and Bridge2Aid.
Nigel said, “We are both greatly honoured to have been recognised for our work in Malawi, and we look forward to being Honorary Fellows of a College which takes its role in global health so seriously.”
Also honoured at the ceremony was Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the umbrella body for all medical Royal Colleges and Faculties.
Welcoming the new honorary fellows, Mike McKirdy, president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said, “Since its foundation more than 400 years ago, the college has had a global outlook, with a focus on bringing health professionals together to raise standards of healthcare and improve lives.
“Our honorary fellows today have dedicated their lives to improving health, and are wonderful examples of what can be achieved by bringing clinicians together with this shared purpose.
“I am delighted to welcome our honorary fellows to our college’s global community.”