Kittitians get free healthcare services

By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief, SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HUNDREDS of residents in St. Kitts flocked the Newtown Health and Community Centres yesterday, as a 40-member US-based team of health professionals offered them free health screenings and advice on prevention.

The health team, known as the United Hands Inc. [UHI], arrived in St. Kitts on Sunday and commenced a one-week visit to offer services in vision evaluation and free glasses, blood pressure checks, glucose/cholesterol screenings, ultrasound imaging, dental evaluation and treatment, nutrition and weight loss counselling, and medical examination by physicians and other healthcare practitioners. 

The health team’s visit is sponsored by the St. Kitts and Nevis Seventh Day Adventist Church in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

According to an official of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the health team would be offering its services to members of the public at the Newtown Health and Community Centres from Monday to Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

He however explained that because of the need to satisfy residents of other localities, dental evaluation and treatment is the only service that would be available in Newtown from Tuesday to Wednesday.

“Apart from those members who will be at the Newtown Health Centre offering dental evaluation and treatment, the health team will be offering free services in medical and optical at the Old Road Health Centre and the Cayon Health and Community Centres on Tuesday, July 29,” he said.

The official stated that medical and optical treatment would also be offered at the St.  Paul’s Community Centre on Wednesday, July 30 and the timings remain the same for visits to all Centres.

He further stated that the team would be travelling to Nevis on Thursday, where residents on that island could receive treatment from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Beaulah Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Gingerland and Charlestown Health Centres.

A community thanksgiving service is also scheduled to take place at the Rivers of Living Water Church’s Convention Centre, Lime Kiln Industrial and Commercial Park from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2.

United Hands Inc., is an all-volunteer group that makes one mission trip per year and, prior to St. Kitts and Nevis, the team had travelled to Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, South Africa and Ghana during its 10-year existence.

Each member of the group covers their own expenses for the trip and the local hosts assist with logistics and transportation.

The health team is led by Dr. David Williams, a St. Lucian, who stated that many of the members, including Coordinator Ann Burnett [Jamaica] and Dr. Don Bovell [Guyana], have Caribbean roots.

The local Seventh Day Adventist Church is encouraging all members of the community to go and receive the free health care services that would be available.