PETERSFIELD, Westmoreland — Medical services were the order of the day at the Petersfield High School shelter last Friday as representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners teamed up with the shelter managers to provide a variety of medical care services to the residents.

UNICEF was joined by representatives of the Caribbean Technical Assistance and Education Centre for Health (C-TECH), DTR Foundation, University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), and the National Health Fund (NHF).

Dr Denise Chevannes, HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive health specialist at UNFPA, told the Jamaica Observer that with more than 160 residents at the shelter there were a lot of factors to consider with health care.

“We know that during emergencies there is often an upsurge in sexual and reproductive health challenges, and in particular gender-based violence,” said Dr Chevannes.

“What we are doing here, in collaboration with our implementing partner, C-TECH, we are not only distributing dignity kits… we are also going to be creating awareness and sensitisation among the folks here,” added Dr Chevannes.

People in the shelter benefited from general medical, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatric services. But the help was not restricted to those in the shelter as other people outside were also catered to by transporting doctors and nurses to those who were unable to make it to the shelter.

“It’s a joint effort. We are trying to ensure that all the needs, to some extent, are met,“ C-TECH Caribbean Executive Director Dr Natalie Irving-Mattocks explained.

It was pointed out to the team that some residents lost their prescriptions and their medication during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“That is going to be very critical now and so one of the partners here today is the National Health Fund to see how people can get their medication for hypertension, as well as for diabetes or sugar as we call it here in Jamaica,” said Dr Chevannes.

In addition to the medical services representatives, DTR Foundation offered counselling and distributed care packages.

“We know at this time it’s a bit stressful, and we know we need to start speaking to them and let them open up to us and help them with their coping skills,” said Dr All Pilliner of DTR Foundation.

“We know it’s going to get hard, and if we don’t start from now to help them learn different coping skills, you know that it’s going be serious. They will react in a negative light and we know it’s going be difficult, so we have to be there for them,” added Dr Pilliner, who pointed out that while the focus was mostly on males and young females, all gender and age groups benefited.

“We have to protect these young girls also because they are very vulnerable, especially in these times. You know you have to have a support holder around them, otherwise you know what will happen, you will have a lot of pregnancies during this time. As simple as we take it, we have to curb these things from early,” said Dr Pilliner.

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