Jamaica News: More members of the Jamaican Diaspora are being encouraged to support the Government’s Adopt-a-Clinic initiative, which seeks the help of volunteers in building the capacity of health centres.
The call comes from Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who reminded the diaspora that the Ministry now has “about 20-plus clinics lined up for adoption”.
“This Adopt-a-Clinic [initiative] is an amazing opportunity to engage health at the community level, and it’s needed now more than ever because of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the lifestyle issues,” he said.
The Minister was speaking at the third plenary session for the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Tuesday (June 18).
The programme, which was launched in 2017, is designed to encourage Jamaicans, the Jamaican Diaspora and other friends of Jamaica to “adopt” a clinic in communities with which they are familiar, or elsewhere in Jamaica.
“The [idea] is to commit a certain amount of resources, either in cash or kind. There is an accountability arrangement that shows you how that is spent, statements are sent [as well as] pictures. You come once a year, and you can engage,” Dr. Tufton said.
Under the Adopt-a-Clinic Programme, the Ministry has earmarked 100 health centres across the island for support from local and international individuals, groups and corporate entities, with the aim of strengthening primary healthcare facilities. A total of eight health centres have been formally adopted to date.
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In the meantime, Dr. Tufton also called for the Jamaican Diaspora’s support in further building out Centres of Excellence in health, digitising health information systems, supplying drugs and sundries, and building human resource capacity through training.
The conference, which runs from June 16 to 20, is being hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade under the theme ‘Jamaica and the Diaspora: Building Pathways for Sustainable Development’.
This staging targets expanding and building pathways for the diaspora and Jamaica to work together to prepare effectively for the future within the context of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which incorporate the core goals of the Vision 2030 National Development Plan.
The focal areas for dialogue, as well as the expected outcomes of the conference, take into consideration important global trends and their impact on the future marketplace and the workplace as well as critical Jamaica-Diaspora partnerships.
Source: JIS News