Research has shown that four in every one thousand births worldwide are afflicted with cerebral palsy, which generally creates a malalignment of the body, a condition that affects the gait of several Jamaican children, yet there is no isolated facility for children with these disabilities in the west.
Responding to the need, Riu Resorts has committed $16 million to sustaining the medical facility over the next five years, while 24HR Medivac Air and Ground Ambulance will transport children from across the island to the clinic free of cost, if they are encountering difficulties reaching the centre on their own.
"The sponsorship will cover the operational cost of the clinic, including a staffed nurse, an office manager and a technician. It will also cover the accommodation cost of the visiting Paediatric specialists from the USA, who will come here on a monthly basis to treat our children," said Angella Bennett, Riu's group sales director.
Proper health care
She was addressing a gathering which included local doctors, Ministry of Health officials, Western Westmoreland Member of Parliament Dr Wykeham McNeill, and Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Bertel Moore, at a ceremony to mark the official opening of the clinic at the Sunshine Village Plaza, in West End, Negril, yesterday.
"As good corporate citizens, we understand the importance of providing proper health care for the island's children, and so it came very easy for us to embark on this project," she said, adding that this was just one of a number of projects that Riu had adopted.
The clinic's chief executive officer, paediatric orthosist, Grant Meyers, who has spent the last 30 years fitting surgical devices designed to activate or supplement weakened limbs, was overwhelmed during his presentation.
"Most of the children that we treat are stricken with cerebral palsy, which encompasses spasticity, because the neurons in the brain are imbalanced. We have to correct this mal-alignment to prevent the deformity," he said.
He explained that a medical doctor must refer children who will be treated at the clinic.
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com