BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS,(MMS-SKN) — The Federal Ministry of Health is praising National Caribbean Insurance (NCI) Company Limited for holding the well-patronised one-day WellCare Health Fair on Friday, April 5 in celebration of this year’s International World Health Day 2024, which was held under the theme ‘My health, my right’.
“I want to say kudos to NCI for this, an amazing initiative,” said Dr Mathias Afortu-Ofre, National HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator and Health Educator in the Ministry of Health, at the WellCare Health Fair which was held at West Independence Square in Basseterre.
The actual World Health Day was observed on Sunday, April 7, and to this, Dr Afortu-Ofre noted: “I feel like they have done an amazing work because through this opportunity they are also using it to educate people on a better health insurance plan that will cover all the health expenses. This is making the public know that NCI are there for them and they are there to ensure that the public makes better decisions because a well-informed decision comes from well-assimilated information.”
The health fair was held in collaboration with the Health Promotion Unit, the National HIV/AIDS Programme of the Federal Ministry of Health, and the St. Kitts Diabetes Association, and according to Dr Afortu-Ofre, they were conducting free screening on diabetes, blood pressure, as well as HIV screening.
“This is a major opportunity and we are encouraging people to come, get tested, get to know their status, and also showcase that they love themselves because this is very important,” he added.
He further noted that officers from the Nutrition Department of the Health Promotion Unit were also at the health fair and were available to educate people on healthy eating, better diet plans, and also better ways of taking care of themselves on what they put in their bodies.
He concluded: “So it is very important that people come out, encouraging their friends and also themselves, and their partners to come out to get this screening, and it is free, so why not take that opportunity?”
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Leading the National Caribbean Insurance team was General Manager, Ms Diana Williams-Humphrey, who was assisted by among others, NCI’s Senior Manager, Sales and Marketing, Mr Floyd Charles, and members of the WellCare Health Fair organising committee which was chaired by Mrs Avril Wilkes.
The health fair was held in conjunction with the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited, and present included Mr Terrence Crossman, First Vice Chair and Managing Director of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited. Also present was the Chairman of National Caribbean Insurance Company Limited, His Excellency Cedric Liburd, and a former General Manager of Caribbean National Insurance Company Limited, Mr Denzil Crooke.
Dr Yannik Henry, Paediatrician based at Joseph Nathaniel France General Hospital, who has a private practice on Lozack Road, said of the WellCare Health Fair: “It is a good gesture – very good gesture – and that is very good that they came out of their four walls to come and educate the public, especially on the health plan that they have.”
He noted that he had been requested to come to the health fair to speak to people on health issues observing that a healthy nation is a wealthy one. Even though a paediatrician, he also talked to adults about how to stay healthy, the risk of diabetes, obesity in children, diabetes in children and adults, and HIV and AIDS.
“We are getting good reception from the public because the public likes to be educated about these things,” stated Dr Henry. “They like that someone is here to teach them about the management and the treatment plans and how to have a proper diet for their child or for them not be obese and also for them to prevent diabetes and hypertension.”