Diaspora Medical Mission to provide services to residents

THE FIRST members of a 100-team COVID diaspora medical mission are now on the ground in Jamaica, having arrived here last week Sunday.

The three-member advance team, headed by Dr Robert Clarke, will be based at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital and will establish the scope of the work, benchmarks and blueprint for the other members of the mission who will be in Jamaica until December 17.

According to Dr Clarke, the advance team will conduct a needs assessment for mission-critical items for the seven to 10 days’ rotation teams. The findings will be communicated to the mission organisers in the United States of America.

The second cohort will have a 10-member team and they are expected to arrive in Jamaica on October 26. This team will be led by Dr Trevor Dixon.

Dr Karren Dunkley, Jamaica Global Diaspora member for the Northeast Region and one of the main organisers of the mission, said that the COVID-19 medical mission is historic.

“We have had tremendous outpouring of support from the diaspora. This trip heralds what we know will become a model of partnership excellence between Jamaica and the diaspora to improve healthcare access, quality and equity,” she said.

The mission has been put together following discussions and sanctions by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and will be under the auspices of the Jamaican Consulate in New York

The medical mission will be headed by Dr Trevor Dixon of Jah Jah Foundation, Dr Robert Clarke of Help Jamaica Medical Mission in conjunction with Claudette Powell, head of the Northeast medical committee, as well as other partners drawn from across the USA.

Other organisations partnering in the mission include Organization of International development (OID); Jamaica Nurses Group of New York, LIOR Davis Foundation, Jamaica Nationals Association and MUAC.

The expectation is that members of the mission will operate on a 10-day rotation, allowing for newer members of the mission to replace those who started with the mission.

The mission members will be based at Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland; and Spanish Town, St Catherine.

The plan is for the setting up of field hospitals in both locations to be used by the members of the mission and to provide service to less critical patients who are not now being provided with such service.

“This will ease, somewhat, the strain on the healthcare manpower resources,” she said.

Dr Dunkley stressed that all volunteers on the mission will be fully vaccinated persons.

THE MISSION’S GOAL

According to her, the goal is to provide field hospital support at both sites to targeted populations to alleviate the pressures on existing manpower personnel at hospital facilities in both parishes.

“We are seeking to save lives and support the medical professionals who are in need of such support,” Dr Dunkley stressed.

She further pointed out that it is not a regular medical mission but a unique one, noting that it is a call to action by Jamaicans on behalf of Jamaica.

The mission members will be working in close collaboration with the Nurses Association of Jamaica and the Medical Association of Jamaica, among other professional groups.

Claudette Power said that the medical mission at this time is seeking to bring benefits to Jamaicans who are having difficulty accessing medical services.

She said that the proposal was approved by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and is now being put into place to ensure a smooth outcome.

“The ministry finally accepted the diaspora offer,” she said.

Powell calls it a significant move.

Karen Shields, who is working on getting the mission off the ground, said that weekly meetings have been taking place to have all the logistics worked out, assessing the needs as the project moves forward.

Members of the mission will be responsible for bearing the costs of their stay in Jamaica.

A number of sponsors have emerged to assist the mission. Chief among them is JetBlue Airlines, which has donated some 20 travel vouchers to cover the airfare of some members of the mission.