Medical Mission to Support Sav-La-Mar Hospital

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is welcoming a medical mission to the island from October 17 to December 17, being organised by the Jamaica Diaspora Northeast.

The Health Minister was speaking at the sixth in a series of virtual town hall meetings dubbed “Let’s Connect” with Ambassador Audrey Marks, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States.

He thanked the Jamaica Diaspora Northeast team for the mission, which will be going into the parish of Westmoreland at the Savanna-la-mar Hospital. He said that the Health and Wellness Ministry will be happy to do whatever is necessary to support the mission, and highlighted the need for support for the parish and the hospital.

“That parish has had its fair share of outbreaks, and that hospital, in particular, has had significant challenges in terms of bed space. We have had a number of deaths, and so any support at all would be excellent,” Minister Tufton said. He added that work is ongoing on the field hospital there and that, hopefully, by the time the mission team arrives in Jamaica, the facility would be ready for them to function and to provide support for the hard-working team on the ground.

Information on the medical mission was disclosed at the town hall meeting by Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Northeast Representative Dr. Karren Dunkley.

Dr. Dunkley explained that the team already had more than 60 volunteers registered, and she used the opportunity to appeal for physicians, respiratory therapists and nurses.

The representative pointed out that “the purpose of the mission is to provide human resource support to our healthcare counterparts in Jamaica”.

She said that the advance team will be deployed on October 17 and that they will be followed by teams of 10 led by different doctors, including lead partner Dr. Trevor Dixon from the Jamaicans Abroad Helping Jamaicans At Home (JAHJAH) Foundation, Dr. Robert Clarke from Help Jamaica Medical Mission and Dr. Gary Rhule, Jamaica Diaspora North East Co-chair, Health Sector.

Other lead partners include Ms. Claudette Powell, RN of the Jamaica Diaspora Northeast USA and Karen Shields from the JAHJAH Foundation.

Dr. Dunkley said fully vaccinated individuals who wish to volunteer, can visit the entity’s website, www.janed.org, to register.

She added that there would also be a strong focus on mental health and that this effort to destigmatise mental health would be led by Ms. Lorraine Smith, a nationally certified mental health expert who will provide counselling services.

Dr. Dunkley also alerted persons to the fact that drop boxes are available in New York and New Jersey for much needed medical supplies, all listed on the website, for the mission.

She thanked Consul-General for New York, Alsion Roach Wilson, for her role in the effort and expressed confidence that the goal of 100 persons to provide support for healthcare workers at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital will be met.