Over one hundred families visited Cunjal Community Centre to take part in the Medical and Legal Aid Clinic facilitated by the Rotary Club of Princes Town on 1st December 2019 in Barrackpore.
The event is one of four outreach clinics the Club holds annually and is primarily aimed at providing rural and depressed communities with free services that may otherwise be too costly to achieve. Coordinator of the event and Rotary Service Project Director, Rhea Nobee, explained “Your health is your wealth. Unfortunately, there are many people who may live too far from public health facilities or may not be able to seek professional services for one reason or another. With the help of the Cunjal Community Council, South West Regional Health Authority, Princes Town Health Centre, Value Optical, Advantage Lab Services Ltd., the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago, and wonderful volunteers we can bring these services to those who need it most.”
The services offered at Sunday’s outreach event included: dental exams, eye testing, blood sugar and cholesterol testing, H1N1 vaccinations, legal advice, free filling of prescriptions, toy and clothing giveaways, and doctor’s consultations. Dir. Nobee added, “Thanks to the SWRHA we were able to provide 100 free H1N1 vaccinations today. Something we are proud of considering the how bad this flu season appears to be.” But the flu wasn’t the only health issue addressed. Nurse Sandra Roopnarine who led diabetes screenings on behalf of the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago revealed, “In the past hour we saw 41 persons, and 6 of them learned that they are possibly diabetic. That is something they didn’t know before today because they were young and felt okay. But that’s why these screenings are important. If identified early diabetes can be managed to prevent major health issues such as heart and kidney damage.”
The day was filled with smiles and good cheer as dozens of persons flowed through the different stations for advice and medication. Mr. Rakib Ali, a resident of Cunjal offered, “Today was absolutely excellent. The service was 100 percent. I learned a lot of things today. For one, I learned that my blood pressure was a little high, but I also learned what I can do to control it. The doctors were very informative and explained things to us. In these country areas there are a lot of people who cannot afford to put food on the table at times, far less go to a doctor. I really commend this good work by the Rotary Club of Princes Town for coming to help those in need.”
In his closing remarks, President of the Rotary Club of Princes Town, Jamir Ousman, gave thanks to all the partners who made the day’s event a success. He gave special mention to the medical professionals who volunteered their time to be there. Special recognition went out to Nurses R. Dreepaulsingh, Z. Ragbir and R. Seecharan of the Princes Town Health Centre; Ms. R. Gildharry, S. Roopnarine, S. Mohammed and C. Tamby of the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. D. Morales from Value Optical; medical student T. Bhagwansingh; and doctors D. Gidla, A. Misir, and Premanand.
