Limited access to dental healthcare remains a persistent challenge for rural communities in Rubanda District, forcing many residents to either live with untreated oral conditions or incur high costs travelling to urban centres for treatment.
The absence of dental services at lower-level health facilities has left oral healthcare largely inaccessible to low-income households, where available resources are prioritized for food, education and other basic needs.
Against this backdrop, the Rubanda District Woman Member of Parliament–Elect, Honorable Evelyne Ninsiima Kikafunda, has renewed calls for the establishment of free and accessible dental care services at government health centres across the district.
Speaking during a one-day free dental outreach held at Bushure Catholic Church in Mpungu Parish, which attracted hundreds of residents from Rubanda and neighboring Kanungu District on Friday, Ninsiima said that integrating dental services into existing public health facilities would significantly reduce the financial and logistical burden faced by rural populations, while improving overall community health.
The outreach, organised in partnership with Build Your Smile Dental Foundation, a Canada-based organisation supporting underserved rural communities, highlighted both the demand for and scarcity of dental services in hard-to-reach areas.
During the camp, residents received free services including teeth cleaning, fillings, extractions, implants, and dentures. Oral health education sessions were also conducted to address widespread gaps in awareness, while local dental professionals benefited from capacity-building training aimed at promoting sustainability beyond short-term interventions.
According to Ninsiima, the heavy turnout at the outreach reflected a deeper structural problem. Many rural residents, she noted, work for low and unstable incomes, making dental care an unaffordable luxury rather than a health priority. As a result, preventable oral diseases often go untreated until they become severe.
She appealed to government authorities to prioritise oral healthcare as part of primary health service delivery, stressing that preventive and basic dental care at health centres would reduce long-term healthcare costs and improve quality of life.
The Rubanda District Secretary for Social Services, Obed Mutatina Kitabutuka, commended the collaboration between local leadership and international partners but noted that reliance on periodic outreaches underscores gaps within the public healthcare system. He emphasised the need for long-term government investment to ensure consistent and equitable access to essential services.
The Rubanda outreach underscores a broader national issue: the need to integrate dental care into routine public health services. While partnerships with international organisations continue to play a vital role, stakeholders argue that sustainable solutions will require stronger policy commitment, funding, and decentralization of dental services to serve rural communities effectively.
