SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Residents of this parish should find it easier to access medical care as, according to Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, 90 per cent of the 20 health centres are in operation, having bounced back from last October’s Hurricane Melissa.

Westmoreland was among the parishes hardest hit by the Category 5 storm.

“I am told that 18 are operational, either in their original location or elsewhere. One totally needs a rebuild, that’s White House. The other, which is Williamsfield, was just renovated, and in a short while — maybe another month, there’s still some work to be done — we should be able to reoccupy,” stated Tufton, who noted that the clinic is temporarily being housed in a church.

The minister was addressing a media briefing in the parish last Friday, where a comprehensive update was provided on the operations and rebuilding of health centres.

“The team is working to assess how to further complete, in the next phase, the build-out of the facilities that need to be expanded and upgraded. I’ll give some further details on that in the future,” Tufton promised, even as he noted that four facilities on the eastern belt of the parish are in communities where electricity has not yet been restored.

Faced with infrastructure challenges, outreach teams have been proactive, conducting home visits and servicing more than 130 residents across 16 shelters in the parish.

“If people are not seen in the health centres, they are seen in the community,” assured the minister.

Noting that health centres in the parish have seen a slight dip in patient visits, Tufton is encouraging residents to maintain their regular check-ups and appointments.

“Year-to-date, we are still about eight per cent down from what would be the case in terms of visits, which is not bad because we know that some people have moved out of the area. Therefore, we have to just continue to encourage Jamaicans to visit your health centres, especially those who need their monthly check-up or their monthly medication,” he urged.

Also during the media briefing, medical officer of Health for Westmoreland Public Health Services, Dr Marcia Graham, encouraged citizens to support the health team’s ongoing efforts.

“We really want to say that we are grateful for the efforts that have been made to improve the infrastructure of our health centres and we encourage the citizens to work alongside the health team as we seek to keep persons on the path of health and wellness,” she said.

The medical officer acknowledged the difficulties faced by displaced residents.

“We still have quite a number who have relocated, and until electricity returns to their community or they have rebuilt their housing solution, then we know that they will choose to seek care elsewhere,” conceded Dr Graham.

In an innovative response to community needs, the health team launched a Saturday food handlers’ clinic to help residents replace lost permits. It is now in the third and final month.

“I’m happy to say that the Saturday food handlers’ clinic has had excellent uptake. Persons don’t have to lose a day’s work in order to replace that document and we have in the range of 80 to 100 persons making use of this facility each Saturday,” said Dr Graham.

In his address, Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) board chairman, Eric Clarke, highlighted the exceptional efforts of community health aides.

“The doctors that actually go out in the field are amazing, but I think our community health aides go above and beyond when they’re out there. They’re not only checking up on the health, but I can tell you I get reports that they’re doing patients’ hair, they’re tidying up the house, they’re making sure they’re in a healthy environment. I really want to take my hat off to them,” he said.

WRHA acting regional director, Deveta McLaren, also commented on the spirit of dedication being displayed.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the team here in Sav-la-Mar. This team works very hard, and we are seeing the results of the hard work… I think Sav will be a different picture in another couple of months and another year or so,” she predicted.