Charles pumps CDF money into education, health care
VETERAN parliamentarian Pearnel Charles Snr reiterated his commitment to education and health care, with last Sunday’s hosting of the annual North Central Clarendon/Pearnel Charles Health Fair at the Sir Donald Sangster Community Centre, in Summerfield, on the outskirts of Chapelton in the parish.
Charles mobilised a team of medical practitioners, some of them members of his own family, who assisted in treating the people of the area and its environs at the day-long event.
The health fair followed the awarding of scholarships through the constituency’s education programme a week before, whereby needy students were assisted with back-to-school tools, among them monetary contributions toward tuition, and school uniforms.
“Education is the master key to our future,” Charles told the Jamaica Observer, after disclosing that he had committed over $4 million from his $15 million allocation under the Constituency Development Fund toward education support.
“I have had a reading competition for basic school and primary school children for the past six years. The prize for 20 children who excelled was a visit to the Jamaican Parliament to watch the (budget) debate.
“From the CDF we dedicated $3.2 million for students to high schools, colleges and universities.
“We assisted 257 students with grants of up to a maximum of $50,000 for tertiary education and for high school students, 570 benefited, with contributions of up to $7,000 to help cover their auxiliary fees.”
In addition, Charles said, a further $1 million was given to students for uniform assistance.
That out of the way, it was then time to look about the medical care of the people of the constituency.
“There were complaints that a number of children were not able to get medical assistance at hospitals, so it was decided that it would be best to set up the health fair, which would cater to full medical examinations being performed for high school students, as well as general checks for the elderly, general complaints of others, including the much younger ones,” Charles said.
Apart from the medical examinations performed, over-the-counter and prescription drugs were given out, after patients were seen by doctors and 11 nurses, including three from overseas.
One of the big sponsors of education and health care in the constituency, Charles said, is Food for the Poor, which supplied books and medicines.
“Health is a right that the State should guarantee to every citizen,” Charles said.
