Medical mission delivers 3,100 treatments

Carl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer

United States-based Zion Care International (ZCI) continued its nearly two-decade medical outreach in Jamaica earlier this month, delivering more than 3,100 medical interventions across several locations.

ZCI chairman Reverend Dr Craig Brown told The Gleaner that this year’s mission focused on ophthalmology and dentistry.

A cataract surgery team from Duke Ophthalmology, part of the Duke University School of Medicine, began its visit at Kingston Public Hospital, where hundreds of procedures were performed.

“They [Duke Ophthalmology] sent a preliminary team to do some examinations, and I think at the end of it, they were able to do 345 cataract surgeries, which is really a marvel because those people came not being able to see, but left being able to see,” Brown explained.

The Duke team’s visit came at an opportune time, following the withdrawal of Cuban medical professionals, which has left gaps in Jamaica’s healthcare system.

Public-sector eye care remains strained by long delays, with only six of the country’s 24 public hospitals offering the service. A 2024 University of the West Indies study found that, as of 2022, Mandeville Regional Hospital alone faced a cataract surgery backlog of 1,000 cases. Cataracts are among the leading causes of blindness in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Although cataract surgery in public hospitals is heavily subsidised, patients can still face significant costs for pre-surgical testing.

Private treatment, meanwhile, remains out of reach for many Jamaicans, with cataract surgery costing $250,000 or more per eye.

The other arm of the mission involved an 80-member dental team from Howard University, Boston University and Tufts University, which provided treatment to residents of Gayle, St Mary, and Steer Town, St Ann.

The turnout was overwhelming, even for a team of that size, with residents expressing their appreciation.

Brown acknowledged the impact such missions can have on under-served communities.

“This is where NGOs like us take the pressure off the health system; missions like this do make a difference,” Brown said. “They told me there was no dental clinic in Gayle; the closest one was Ocho Rios and the dentist is there a few days per week and when he comes he only sees a few patients. We’ve been doing this for over 18 years now and every year we try to improve and get better at it.”

Brown said the team worked hard to accommodate residents and minimise waiting times, operating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“In Gayle alone they’re telling me, we saw at least 2,800 people. It’s a good thing that we had a large team that could facilitate people quickly and expeditiously. Eighty of us, it was a big team and I’m very happy because we were able to do the back-to-school checks and all of that.”

In a 2017 interview with The Gleaner during one of his missions to Jamaica, Brown challenged local churches to invest more in human capital and do more to assist the poor, including by expanding access to free healthcare.

Both before and since then, he has consistently led ZCI missions aimed at helping vulnerable Jamaicans.

Drawing on his humble beginnings, including his mother’s work as a domestic helper, Brown said he sees his mother in many of the women his team has assisted.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com