Pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew, Rev Dr Devon Dick is calling on Jamaicans to fight for the less fortunate to receive proper health care, arguing that they are just as entitled to the same quality service as people who are well off.

“It’s not only the pastor who has good contacts at the hospital and can get through quickly and adequately, but all God’s children, and we must fight for them,” Rev Dick said, as he preached his sermon entitled: ‘Faith Over Fear’ on Sunday during the Bustamante Hospital for Children’s 60th Anniversary Church Service.

Highlighting the unbalanced way in which resources are distributed among the less fortunate and the more affluent, Dick recalled that former Prime Minister Bruce Goldng had said that, “Anytime there is something that will benefit people who are poor, people get up in arms and say, ‘no’ we can’t afford it; it’s a drain on the budget.”

“But you know, some big banks can get bailout, some foreign companies can get waivers and they say, ‘oh, that is good for the economy because you’re gonna get trickle down’, and all that really trickle down is a little drip for true — drip, drip, drip, drip,” the church man said.

In further driving home his point, Rev Dick made reference to the situation in Gaza, where about 100 truck loads of food and supplies are needed, yet only 10 are sent in.

“You know what that means, 10 people have to fight for what is adequate for one. And so, often in life, that is how it is, and we must stand up for those who are less fortunate so that all of God’s children can benefit from good medical care,” he said.

He pondered why the pronouncement he said was made by former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, that children under 18 years should receive free health care, had not come to fruition.

In the meantime, drawing on the Bible saying, “God is our refuge and strength”, Rev Dick said that while some battles are not worth fighting, “sometimes we must fight especially on behalf of the less fortunate, the oppressed”.

He said that people should be grateful to those who fought in the world wars against those who wanted to oppress people and deny freedom, and were willing to give their lives “so that we now have certain freedoms and can worship in freedom”.

Rev Dick gave the example of one such oppressor, German dictator Adolf Hitler, asking his congregation: “Can you imagine if Hitler had succeeded [in continuing his rampage]?”

Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. During his dictatorship, as the leader of the Nazi Party, he ignited World War II in Europe by invading Poland in 1939, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 million people.

He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and were central to the perpetration of the Holocaust — the State-sponsored killing of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.

Regional director for the South East Regional Health Authority Errol Greene also brought greetings during the church service.