Santa Barbara dentist continues humanitarian mission in Afghanistan
A dentist from Santa Barbara has pledged to continue his humanitarian mission in Afghanistan, despite significant risks to his safety.
Jim Rolfe, a retired dentist, travelled to Afghanistan with the sole aim of providing dental care for people in need. Standards of oral health in Afghanistan are notoriously poor and people die from infections which could be easily treated if the right resources and manpower were in place.
At the age of 71, Rolfe could be enjoying his retirement and taking things easy in California, but he says he had a dream that quickly turned into an obsession and he now treats patients thousands of miles away in hostile and frightening surroundings. He set up his surgery three years ago and is determined for it to be a success.
Over the course of the time Rolfe has been in Afghanistan, a number of volunteers and friends have been killed by Taliban fire; Rolfe says he is aware of the risks but the gravity of the situation facing thousands of innocent Afghan people keeps him going.
Every day, Rolfe welcomes patients into his surgery, which is staffed by Afghan dentists and dental nurses; for many people, it is the first time they have seen a dentist and they often have extensive decay and gum problems.
Financial backing is another cause for concern for Rolfe, who currently supports the mission with his own money; he worries about the future of the clinic and hopes to secure funding to ensure that it can keep going for many years to come. For now, Rolfe is determined to provide the Afghan people with excellent standards of dental care.
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