Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer
Left: Dr. Yvonne Smith, a paediatrician, uses her stethoscope to examine three-month-old Omario Thompson at a health fair at the St. John's Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay, Tuesday, October 10, while she consults with mother Kaycia Lawn. Looking on is Ms. Lawn's nephew. Right: Dental surgeons, Dr. Marc Roberts (centre) and Dr. Osei Clarke, both Jamaicans living in Atlanta, U.S.A. and two of 28 medical professionals of the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Cities Committtee, carrying out oral examinations. - Photos by Noel Thompson
WESTERN BUREAU:
More than 3,000 residents from St. James and other sections of western Jamaica benefited from a free health clinic at the St. John's Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay earlier this week.
The health fair, which was spearheaded by the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Cities Committee (AMSCC), started on Monday and ran for three days. For the past 13 years, the committee has been providing free health care to thousands of Jamaicans from across the country, with a concentration in Montego Bay. The event is done in conjunction with the St. James Parish Council.
Vin Martin, Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Atlanta and chairman of the committee, said: "The number of persons who have shown up for medical assistance was quite overwhelming."
Several persons camped outside the church premises overnight on Sunday in order to obtain tickets as soon as the doors were opened early Monday morning.
Asked how the team was able to finance the fair annually, Mr. Martin said money was provided through fund-raising events, but emphasised that 100 per cent of the money received was utilised for the purchasing of medicine, shipment of the supplies and movement of the goods.
A total of 28 medical doctors, nurses and dental surgeons participated in this year's fair, all of whom travelled to Jamaica at their personal expense. Mr. Martin estimated that their out-of-pocket expenses were about J$4.2 million, as some practitioners had closed businesses to facilitate the mission in Jamaica.
Mr. Martin said the committee was thankful to Air Jamaica, a number of pharmaceutical companies in the United States, the Hartfield Jackson International Airport, the Montego Bay MRI Centre and the Jamaican diaspora in Atlanta, which had also assisted them over the years.
Montego Bay and Atlanta were twinned in 1972.
Left: Dr. Marc Roberts, a dental surgeon and one of 28 medical professionals of the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Cities Health Committtee, injects the root of a bad tooth in preparation for extraction. Right: Marjorie Wilson, a nurse practitioner, examines 90-year-old Lebert Brown, a double amputee, at the health fair.
