T he India High Com mission in Jamaica will roll out its free medical initiative across eight parishes today.

Hundreds of Jamaicans are expected to benefit from the 14 free medical camps, with the earliest starting at 8:30 am and ending at 5:00 pm.

The camps will be held in St Andrew, St Mary, Portland, St Ann, St James, St Catherine, Clarendon, and St Elizabeth.

Due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in that Manchester in recent weeks, the medical camp scheduled for that parish has been cancelled.

Medical camps in St Andrew at Chandolu Global Healthcare, 11 Eastwood Park Road, and Constant Spring Library, 5 Cassava Piece Road from 9:00 to 2:00.

That in St Mary will be spearheaded by Indian medical couple Dr Nadandra Babu Chandolu and Dr Alekya Daram; as well as another Indian medic, Dr Ravi Kishore Desagani, and one Cuban doctor. The St Mary camp, which start at 10:00 am and end at 2:00 pm, will be held at the offices of Ashish Healthcare in Islington.

Other prominent Indian doctors will be at all the other locations, ready to see patients with varying ailments.

St Catherine’s locations will be at HS Walters Centre, and Prison Oval in Spanish Town, starting at 9:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm; for Clarendon, the camps will be held at May Pen Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Anvesh Medical Centre in Lionel Town, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, respectively; St Elizabeth’s camp will be held at All American Institute of Medical Sciences, High Street, Black River from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm; while in St James, that camp will be at Faith Temple Church, Princess Street, Montego Bay, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 am.

Over in Portland, the INNWA Medical Centre in Port Antonio will welcome individuals from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm; while in St Ann, camps will be held at Complete Care Medical Centre, Rennie Road, Ocho Rios from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and Sadhwani’s Dental Care, Soni’s Plaza, also in Ocho Rios, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The event is being held by the India High Commission in recognition of the 72nd Republic Day of India, which was celebrated on January 26. It is being supported by 40 Indian community doctors, pharmaceutical companies, AIIMS Colleges, Northern Caribbean University, custodes and municipal corporations.

India’s High Commissioner to Jamaica R Masakui said that the high commission is happy to provide a platform for persons to give back to the community.

“In essence, the people who are giving back are these doctors, so I give full credit to the doctors who are participating. I give full credit to the pharmaceutical companies who will come out willingly to give back to the society,” he said.

He said the idea came about following discussions with the doctors and other stakeholders “who were willing to come on board”.

“We are very fortunate that we have received the cooperation of our community doctors, the parishes, the mayors and the churches who we have reached out to,” Masakui said.

The high commissioner noted that there are plans to have annual camps and to increase their numbers.

“Hopefully, if this is successful, which we hope it will be, then next year around the same time when our national day comes up, we will reach out to all parishes. That’s our hope,” he said.

He said the medical centres will offer general health checkups, medication and other services, such as blood pressure and diabetes checks.

For Dr Babu Chandolu, who along with his wife, is a part of two charities in St Mary, thanking God, supporting people in need and “giving back” forms part of his purpose in life.

“I came from a poor background, so I know what it is like to want to do things and cannot afford to get them done. We are fully behind this medical in Islington and we want as many people to come so that we can help to improve their health,” stated the man who has been practising in Jamaica for more than seven years.