Cascade Health Centre adopted by UK group
Published:Thursday | March 22, 2018 | 12:00 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Brighter days are on the horizon for the 36-year-old Type-2 health centre in Cascade, Hanover, as it was on Thursday officially adopted by the JA55 Charities Group, United Kingdom, under the Ministry of Health's Adopt-A-Clinic programme.
The Cascade facility is one of five health facilities in the island adopted by the JA55 Charities Group. It will see the health facility receiving approximately J$1 million annually to assist in its day-to-day operations.
According to Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who was present for the official adoption function, his ministry has received some 50 offers through its Adopt-A-Clinic programme for participation. He said that offers have come from several groups, organisations, companies, and individuals.
Tufton, who was the keynote speaker at the ceremony, held at the Cascade Health Centre, unveiled a plaque to mark the event. The health minister expressed the view that during this calendar year, there should be some significant changes in relation to the conditions within the adopted health facilities.
"This year, we intend to see a serious partnership, a contract of commitment for service in public health,between well-thinking citizens who are connected to their culture and their roots," said Tufton. "Whether corporate or individual, health centres are staffed by dedicated staff members who want to reach out and to provide support for their community."
Tufton said that the arrangements under the Adopt-A-Clinic programme are for the assistance to the health centres to be for a period of three to five years.
The health minister announced that a listing has been done with regard to the immediate needs of the adopted facilities and that ministry officials will be checking and setting priorities in relation to the expenditure towards those needs.
When Tufton asked staff members at Cascade about their immediate needs, they indicated that those included wheelchairs, examination beds, machines for sterilising equipment, and screens to make examination areas private.