It’s no secret that 2020 was boom times for PPE manufacturers, in many cases with demand out tripping supply. Now Medicom, one of Australia’s leading suppliers of PPE and single use consumables, is paying it forward by donating $10,000 in supplies to the charity Filling the Gap. Filling the Gap works to improve the health and quality of life of vulnerable people with poor oral health through the provision of pro bono dental aid programs.
“We were blown away by Medicom’s generosity,” said Dr Sarah Raphael, General Manager, Filling the Gap. “Not having to struggle to find a lot of the consumables we continually use thanks to this wonderful donation has made life so much easier. We just want to really pass on our huge thanks to Maisie, Melissa and everyone at Medicom for their generous support.” Dr Raphael said that Filling the Gap runs all of its clinics on donations and the good work they do will now be made easier thanks to the abundance of supplies provided by Medicom.
“Filling the Gap is helping people who have trouble accessing dental care by offering pro bono treatment that’s provided by our volunteers,” Dr Raphael said. “We’re treating asylum seekers and refugees, the homeless, people with mental health issues and those with various drug dependencies during their recovery phase. “We run clinics at the ADA NSW’s Centre for Professional Development’s facility a few times a month and then we also have lovely volunteers who basically ‘adopt’ patients for treatment in their own private practices. Despite the disruptions due to the pandemic, in the last year we were able to help more than 460 patients and provide pro bono treatments worth in excess of $400,000 to those most in need.”
Dr Raphael said that Filling the Gap was only possible thanks to the generosity of the growing pool of clinicians and dental assistants who volunteer their time and skill and the support of donations from the dental industry such as this generous gift from Medicom. “Medicom has been manufacturing high quality PPE and single use dental consumables for over 30 years,” said Melissa Eley, Medicom’s Regional Dental Category Manager – Asia Pacific. “Medicom is a trusted and professional brand and our range is used extensively in the Australian dental market. Our donation to Filling the Gap recognises their tremendous efforts helping people in our community.”
“We donated $10,000 worth of PPE and other consumables from our range to Filling the Gap and their choice includes masks, cotton rolls, surgical gowns, selfsealing sterilization pouches, bibs, saliva ejectors, suction tips, head rest covers, barrier film, dental paper cups, micro applicators and nitrite and latex gloves.”
Dr Michael Jonas, FTG Chair, equally applauded Medicom’s support of Filling the Gap. “Filling the Gap came about as a way of increasing the utilisation of our Centre for Professional Development,” Dr Jonas said. “We have a fully functioning 4-chair dental clinic that we use for professional education and then someone asked ‘What else can we use it for?’. It started with a Dental Rescue Day and it just went from there. Medicom has now come onboard to help at the most critical time. I can’t tell you how hard it is to get PPE at the moment! Then all of a sudden we have an abundant supply. It’s terrific. It’s good for the soul.”
Maisie Liu, General Manager of Medicom Australia, said that giving back and helping local communities was in keeping with their corporate values. “Filling the Gap is a great initiative and our donation reflects our corporate value around being accountable and a good corporate citizen. I need to hold our company accountable for doing the right thing and leading the industry to making sure that our community is being supported. I’m sure there’s more that we can do, but sometimes it’s about knowing where to start. And I think this is a great starting point.” Filling the Gap relies on monetary donations, donations of dental product and donations of time and skill from the dental profession. And more support is always needed.