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A healthy partnership Rotary Club of East Kingston & Port Royal and SAJ bring health care to the needy

Published:Monday | September 7, 2015 | 11:07 AM
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Dozens await their turn as doctors and nurses work inside the Shipping Association of Jamaica’s mobile clinic.
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Youngsters from neighbouring communities have fun after getting their free medical check-ups.
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In the shadow of the Shipping Association of Jamaica’s mobile clinic, nurses Simone Shaw of Haile Selassie High School (left) and Stacey Foster-Jackson of the University Hospital of the West Indies (right) join Rotary Club of East Kingston and Port Royal president Michael Johnson in assisting a resident of the east Kingston community with her registration for a free medical examination.
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The team from the Rotary Club of East Kingston and Port Royal registers patients seeking the free services offered.
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A healthy partnership

Rotary Club of East Kingston and Port Royal, SAJ bring health care to the needy

Ignoring the scorching heat, scores of residents from the communities close to the Vauxhall High School in East Kingston streamed on to the school grounds on Saturday August 15, eager to benefit from the free health checks and other services being offered at the Rotary Club of East Kingston and Port Royal's annual health fair.

Just a few hours before, long-time Rotary partners, the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), had set up its mobile clinic on the grounds - thanks to its member company Transocean Limited, which had volunteered the services of a trailer head and driver to transport the 40-foot container to the school, free of cost. The lines of patients outside the unit steadily grew as the day went on and the doctors and nurses working inside were kept busy.

SERVICESOFFERED

The classrooms inside the school were just as busy, as the National Health Fund, the St Andrew Central Lion's Club, the Red Cross and other volunteer organisations offered vital services to the patrons. These included diabetes, cholesterol and HIV screening, hypertension checks, as well as optical screening and dental checks, even free barbering services. The mobile JUTC Smart Card unit and the Registrar General's Department were also on hand providing residents with access to their services.

Annually, the SAJ supports the Rotary Club in bringing health services to those most in need as part of a shared mandate to give back to society. The self-contained, air-conditioned clinic on wheels is provided free of charge.