Dear Editor,

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day and we here in Jamaica pay our respects to all our women in the different spheres of national life, I want to pay special tribute to a unique group of professionals who are often unrecognised for the caring, selfless, and empathetic services they provide for the mentally ill community.

I speak of the cadre of female mental health practitioners at the Spalding Mental Health Clinic in Clarendon. While the general staff is worthy of commendation, words cannot describe the care, commitment, and competence of the women mental health practitioners, namely doctors Shanique Gordon, and Hope Iballaboh; and nurses Tee, Burke, Richards, and Hewitt.

It takes a strong, caring, competent, and committed person to work in the field of mental health, and all these ladies have demonstrated the “strength of a woman” in their respective areas of expertise.

On behalf of the mentally ill community, I wish to raise a toast to all the female mental health professionals at Spalding Mental Health Clinic and all the other associated mental health facilities in Jamaica.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Andre’ Wellington

Mental health patient and advocate

Christiana, Manchester

andrewellington344@yahoo.com