New dental clinic aims to preserve Raro’s ‘beautiful, healthy smiles’

A new dental clinic has opened at Rarotonga Medical Centre, offering a wider range of treatment services, amid calls from the former head of the Ministry of Health to expand health services.

Former Te Marae Ora (TMO) secretary of the Ministry of Health, Elizabeth Iro, stressed that Paenua needed more health services and opportunities to address the challenges there.

Iroh served as TMO secretary from 2012 to 2017 and later as WHO chief nursing officer from 2018 to 2023. She made the call during a guest speech at the opening of the dental clinic at the Rarotonga Medical Centre on Friday.

She urged centre staff to continue to be creative and find ways to address the health issues facing Paenua residents, especially as they travel to Te Maeva Nui festival this week.

“We have a unique situation where our outer islands need the same service, how do we extend this service to our colleagues in the outer islands?” Iro said.

Former Te Marae Ora secretary Elizabeth Iro officially opened the Rarotonga Medical Centre – Dental Care on Friday. 24072811

“I think the Cook Islands have been very creative in managing health services… When the women and the medical team came to Rarotonga, Te Maeva Nui provided us with an opportunity to have them undergo health checks while they were here.

“So I think these are very important overarching agendas that need to be planned for in the work that you do as a health provider, how can we occupy these outer islands that come in for Te Maeva Nui or other agendas.

“We have the opportunity to do that so I just wanted to put that out there because it’s really important that these services are considered in Rarotonga.”

Iro believes that by prioritizing the needs of people in past and current work, she and other health workers can effectively identify and source the services needed by the Cook Islands community.

Nini Wynn, co-owner of the Rarotonga Medical Centre, took up the challenge and confirmed the new clinic plans to expand its services to the outer islands.

Rarotonga Medical Centre officially opened its new dental clinic on Friday, a long-term project that has been years in the making.

The health centre has also signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health to allow it to access the TMO’s electronic systems to improve the services it provides to the community.

The new dental clinic will offer dental services such as crowns, bridges and dentures.

According to Wynn, expensive dental treatments such as orthodontics that previously required patients to travel overseas will now be available at the clinic.

In addition to bringing in new equipment to the dental clinic, they also recruited a new team of staff, including a full-time and part-time dentist from Fiji, as well as a dental assistant.

Dentist Manoj Kumar performs a full-mouth dental scan on a patient at the newly opened Rarotonga Medical Centre – Dental Clinic on Friday. TALAIA MIKA/24072805

The clinic’s general health department employs two physicians and one nurse.

Dr. Wynn also stressed that the new dental clinic is designed to reduce the financial burden on patients, especially when it comes to orthodontic treatment.

Iroh and other guests at Friday’s opening ceremony recognised and praised the great milestones achieved by the Rarotonga Health Centre, particularly for putting the people of the Cook Islands first.

“Because you’ve been on the front lines, constantly upgrading your education, constantly making sure that you have the right knowledge to be able to provide the quality services that our people need,” Iroh said. “So I really appreciate that you’re really dedicated to your work, and I think that all of us around here today appreciate the services that you provide and appreciate that there are other options. Not just going to the Department of Health, not just relying on the hospitals, there are other options.”

“Globally, health staffing is not an easy thing, there are shortages of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and so on all over the world, so the health staff on the island is really important for us to take care of them, and taking care of them does not mean always caring about wages.”

Iro stressed that the most important aspect is collaboration to ensure that the project reaches everyone who needs it.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Rarotonga Medical Centre said: “We are very pleased to announce that the Rarotonga Medical Centre – Dental Care Centre is now open and ready to provide you with the highest quality dental care!”

“Thank you so much to everyone who supported us along the way – your encouragement, enthusiasm, and warm wishes made our grand opening a success. We couldn’t have done it without you!

“Our doors are now open, and we are eager to help you and your family achieve and maintain a beautiful, healthy smile.”