Seventh-day Adventist Health Fair: Govt to collaborate with church to get preventive healthcare into communities

– continues to invest in equipment, support services for cervical cancer

On Sunday, when the Guyana Conference of the Seventh Day Adventists hosted a Mega National Health Fair, President Dr. Irfaan Ali committed his government to aid the church’s efforts in making more preventative care available to the community, through the provision of cervical cancer screening services and vouchers.
In his feature address at the opening ceremony of the Health Fair/Business Expo and Family Funday at the Guyana Exhibition Centre in Sophia, the Head of State lauded the church for the role it was playing and pledged that the state would also assist it in the delivery of preventative and curative medical care to the community.
“I want to extend our services to the church. Because I believe that your work is evidence of the type of environment we want to create in service to people. So, throughout your medical outreaches, now and in the future, all the members of the community… because I want to make this clear, especially for those in every community who are not here and listening. This is not only members of the church who can benefit. When the church speaks about the community, it’s everyone. This facility is open to everyone.”

“And make use of the facility. Feel welcome. I can tell you. The Seventh Day Adventist is an extraordinary group of people who make you feel welcome. I feel welcome every time I come here. And I want to use this opportunity to say, through our eyecare programme, all the persons who would require spectacles, we will give you the vouchers to ensure that they get their spectacles at different places.”
The support of the state, according to President Ali, would also include facilitating surgeries for cataracts, eyewear distribution and ensuring that young girls and women are scanned for cervical cancer. The President therefore charged the church with supplying the list of patients to the government, which will provide the necessary assistance through the Ministry of Health.
President Ali also urged that the platform provided by the church be used to accomplish cervical cancer screening. President Ali assured that vouchers would be provided for both the cervical screening and for the spectacles programme.

“Director, I want you to use this platform to coordinate with us, the programme of cervical cancer scanning. And we’re ready and willing to work with you, either through the vouchers or through the partnership, on having the women that come and young girls, scanned for cervical cancer. And we’ll fully take care of that programme.”
“You see, the difference is the church is in a position of trust. That is why the church has immense responsibility for public health. The church must use that position of trust to educate the members of the community on healthcare, but importantly letting them understand the types of programmes that are beneficial to them,” the Head of State said.
The challenge
President Ali called on the church to challenge itself to match the national efforts at getting preventative health care into the communities. Further, he noted that the community itself has a responsibility to access available treatments and services, that would allow them to care for their own bodies.
“Let us also use this platform to scan as many women as possible. Let’s challenge ourselves to see if we can beat the national efforts as a church. Because we want women to get this scan. And we’re investing also in equipment and support services. So, if they need treatment, we can get that treatment early.”
“Because as my brother said, it’s about preventative medicine. And that is important. A lot of these things, if we’re able to capture it early, then we can deal with it. As good members of the church, you have to make decisions that understand the body that you are protecting. This body is a gift to you. If there is an opportunity for you to access something that would help to protect that body, you have a responsibility to access that benefit and service.”
The President also pledged to support the church with a $2 Million donation that would go towards covering transportation, logistics and other costs associated with organising the medical outreach. He lauded the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for its altruistic nature and noted the importance of community, according to the scriptures.
“The church is a community. And the concept of community in the scriptures has a very special meaning. In the scriptures, the community goes beyond the individual. And when the church community goes beyond the individual, then the church takes on the responsibility for the community.”
“And if the church does not fulfil its community responsibility, then the church would be failing in its duty. And our leaders in the church would be failing in their duty. But the church is made up of individuals, when combined form the community. And it is that community that is brought together today under the umbrella of the church, that gives these services to you,” President Ali said. (G-3)