USU Postgraduate Dental College Graduate, Faculty lead Dental Humanitarian Assistance Mission
Two Uniformed Services University (USU) Postgraduate Dental College (PDC) dental officers are leading the oral health response on a new humanitarian mission.
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| U.S. Air Force Capt. Daniel Reid, Air Expeditionary Squadron dentist, operates on a patient from the local community in Redi Doti, Suriname, Feb. 13, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexus Wilcox) |
March 6, 2023 By Sharon Holland
The U.S. Southern Command launched a new medical humanitarian mission January 25 to help relieve local health care professionals in several South American countries who are overwhelmed with need, and two Uniformed Services University (USU) Postgraduate Dental College (PDC) dental officers are leading the oral health response.
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| U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Gjekaj, Air Expeditionary Squadron pediatric dentist, operates on a student of the Johan Chelius School in Redi Doti, Suriname, Feb. 13, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexus Wilcox) |
“LAMAT follows on the heels of a recent medical assistance mission to the Caribbean by the U.S. Navy Comfort hospital ship from October to December of last year. The intent of this mission is to assist medical professionals in Guyana, Suriname and St. Lucia provide medical and dental treatment to patients selected by the Ministry of Health. The team, composed of United States Army and Air Force medical professionals, are equipped to conduct surgeries and provide dental treatments. We expect that the team will perform 80 surgeries and 200 dental services,” said U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch in remarks made at the mission’s kick-off in Guyana on Feb. 22, 2023.
The operation is in support of U.S. Southern Command’s mission to further global health engagement between the participating nations. In addition to a knowledge exchange with local providers, LAMAT members are performing gastrointestinal surgeries, including hernia and cyst excisions, and providing dental support, all facilitated through each host nation’s Ministry of Health and local hospital medical directors.
Gjekaj, Reid and the other LAMAT members began their mission in Suriname, which has a population of roughly 600,000 people, many of whom live in remote areas. The LAMAT dental team were the very first to see patients in a brand new dental clinic in Redi Doti. The clinic will serve patients from rural communities, making it easier for citizens to seek dental services locally, rather than having to make the seven-hour round trip to Paramaribo for care.
“In my 23 years of providing dental services, there have been few opportunities both in my civilian and military career to provide my medical expertise in such a meaningful way,” said Gjekaj in a recent interview for Air Forces Southern. “My team and I are extremely humbled to have been invited by the JTV clinic on behalf of the Ministry of Health to participate in the opening days of this new clinic in Redi Doti.”
On February 21, they moved to Guyana, one of the poorest countries in South America. More than a third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line, and most suffer from inadequate healthcare services. The LAMAT dental members will spend two weeks performing dental cleaning, fillings, extractions and preventive care before moving on to St. Lucia for the conclusion of the mission. Roughly 21 percent of St. Lucia’s population lives below the poverty line.
“This is an unforgettable experience that my team and I will never forget,” Gjekaj said. “We are extremely humbled to have been able to be a part of this experience.”
