Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
IN CONTENT Gap, a little corner of East Rural St. Andrew, 120 primary school children will soon be able to use modern flush toilets, courtesy of a $1.5 million grant from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund.
The children have, until now, been forced to use pit toilets because that was what their school had.
"We expect to change over the toilets during this school term," said Kermitt McGann, chairman of the board of the Content Gap Primary School.
He was speaking during a handing over ceremony and project exhibition at the Hilton Hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday.
Another set of children have something else to celebrate. Paediatric surgeries at the Bustamante Children's Hospital should become better, courtesy of a $5.9 million grant to buy equipment.
With its $63.5 million in grants to 24 organisations, and overall contribution of $295 million over two years, CHASE has become a big rescuer. Hospitals in the public health system, which suffer from shortages of and outdated laboratory services, limited diagnostic services and inadequate physical space, also got a boost from the two-year-old fund.
BOOST SECURITY
Among them were the Cornwall Regional Hospital (which got $11 million for surgical equipment), the St. Ann's Bay, Annotto Bay and Port Maria hospitals ($5 million to buy X-ray processors), the National Public Health Labor-atory, the Spanish Town Hospital ($670,000 to buy incubator) and Princess Margaret Hospital ($6.5 million to boost security through erecting much needed fencing).
Health Minister John Junor said CHASE's input went a long way to fill various needs outlined in such budgets as $450 million for staff training and $250 million for diagnostic equipment needs.
He, however, suggested that CHASE focus on the needs of the primary care sector.
"This is necessary because Jamaica's health care status has been achieved through primary care health," he said.
A number of health centres and charity/non-profit organisations also received grants. Among them FISH Clinic ($22 million to do screening), the S. Corner Clinic ($2.4 million), the Windsor Girls Home Wellness programme ($2.6 million), the Drewsland community ($1.28 million to prove primary health care for homeless senior citizens,) and the Clarendon Association for Street People (CLASP) which received a $400,000 administrative grant.
