Impressive Turnout for Morant Bay ‘Know Your Numbers’ Tour

St. Thomas residents were out in their numbers on Thursday (March 14) for the parish’s instalment of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign.

The event was held at the Rudolph Elder Park in Morant Bay and gave the attendees an opportunity to check their blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index and cholesterol levels, and access other health services.

Portfolio Minister and host, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in his main address, congratulated the many persons attending the event.

“I am very proud of all who have come out today. This looks like it is the largest Know Your Numbers activation that we have had, and we have been to about five or six parishes already. So big up to the people of St. Thomas,” the Minister said.

Emphasising the importance of health checks, Dr. Tufton revealed that in 2022, more than 650 Jamaicans lost limbs mainly due to complications from diabetes, and over 7,400 persons suffered strokes due to hypertension.

“The simple message is this, we, as a Government and as a Ministry of Health and Wellness, want you to live long and to live healthily. Too many of us get sick very early, end up in accident and emergency at the hospital or, more tragically, pass away, not because it could not have been avoided, but because we did not know that we were vulnerable to a condition,” Dr. Tufton said.

For his part, Medical Officer of Health at the St. Thomas Health Department, Dr. D’Oyen Smith, underscored that the aim of the event was “to identify what risks persons are at so we can modify them from early, whether with medications, diet or exercise”.

Similarly impressed by the major turnout from residents in the parish, Dr. Smith said: “The response has been tremendous.”

“We’re very excited about it. In other locations, [the turnout] is somewhat less and today, we are very grateful that the people have come out. Today, St. Thomas has shone very well,” the Medical Officer added.

He explained that in addition to health services, other public and private-sector entities came on board to participate in the event.

They include the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Jamaica National (JN) Bank, and Social Development Commission (SDC).

One of the major pulls, Dr. Smith said, was the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) booth, which offered services to residents that would normally have to be accessed in Kingston or online.

The day’s execution also featured an entertainment package with several local talents, before culminating just before dusk.