Thousands are expected to visit the Community Hospital of Seventh-day Adventists in Cocorite, as the US-based medical mission Hands International offers free healthcare services to those in need this week.
Dental, ophthalmology, paediatric, mental health, massages, and educational sessions are just a few of the other services being offered at the medical mission.
President of Hands International, Trinidad and Tobago national Dr. Reynold Agard, is leading a team of 70 foreign medical practitioners who are in Trinidad and Tobago to provide a host of free medical services and procedures.
“Coming all the way from the US. We are from multiple states, including Delaware, California, Florida, Alabama, Washington DC, in conjunction with the US Embassy. So we are happy to be here and to be hosted by the Community Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Cocorite.”
Dr. Agard noted that this week’s mission is not the organisation’s first visit to T&T.
“At the area hospital in Point Fortin. And again we were welcomed there, and we saw over 5,000 patients. Our next mission was in Sangre Grande, where we operated a field hospital on the grounds of the Sangre Grande SDA Church, where we were able to utilise the hospital, which is right next door. And for this mission we are happy that we are on the grounds and the facilities here are available to us. This is unique.”
Monday was the first day of the mission. One of the team members, Dr. Kamar Adeleke, a cardiologist from Nigeria, described just one of the services that is being provided.
“Today we are doing not only the cardiac catheterisation that will require surgery, we are going to be doing open-heart surgery at the community hospital in another two months. We are here, we have all the services that we are going to be doing. From diagnosis, evaluation, cardiac catheterisations, stents, open-heart surgery, and in addition to that, the educational part of it is coming.”