Lady Allen implores Jamaicans to safeguard nation’s youth

WIFE OF the governor general, Lady Allen, is urging well-thinking Jamaicans to take the necessary steps to safeguard the society’s children and youth and aid their holistic development.

Noting that 33 per cent of the population are children and another 11.8 per cent are youth aged 18 to 24, Lady Allen contended that “these are the leaders and nation builders of tomorrow, and we want them healthy and happy”.

“Our children and young people face many problems, and sometimes they need the help of us adults to see them through their difficulties. We need to do that because they have special needs, special interests, and special dreams. We must give them every opportunity to become the best that they can be,” she said.

Her remarks were delivered by chair of the Friends of the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Dr Karla Hylton, during the opening ceremony for the annual Dr Leila Wynter Commemorative Conference at the institution on Monday.

Lady Allen said that when children are allowed to grow holistically, they will be “set on the right path to do those things that are good for them... and good for us too”.

Lady Allen, who is the Bustamante Hospital’s patron, said she enjoys and takes this role seriously, pointing out that “it is a pleasure because I have always had a very great interest in children and young people”.

“I have a special love for them. They give us as parents, grandparents, and older people a lot of joy as we see them learning, enjoying themselves, getting excited over their successes, or just being themselves without pretending to be what they are not,” she noted.

Lady Allen said that the conference has been fittingly named in honour of one of Jamaica’s pioneers in paediatric and general healthcare and is a welcome forum for exploring and discussing issues related to the welfare of the society’s youngsters.

She noted that the range of topics for discussion was relevant and praised all of the medical professionals, inclusive of doctors, nurses, surgeons and specialists, who volunteered to share information on and examine health-related issues ”[impacting] the health of our young adolescents”.

CONTRIBUTED Chair of the Friends of the Bustamante Hospital for Children Dr Karla Hylton (second right, front row) leads the symbolic cutting of a cake as part of activities marking this year’s staging of the annual Dr Leila Wynter Commemorative Conference. The event was held at the hospital on Monday under the theme ‘Disorders of Adolescence’. Others sharing the moment (from left, front row) are the hospital’s acting departmental manager, Denese Dacres Reeves; acting chief executive officer, Camile Wallen Panton; ambulance attendant, Everton Percell; patient, 11-year-old Jayden-Kyle Coley; and senior medical officer, Dr Michelle-Ann Richards-Dawson. Back row, from left: acting director, health services planning and integration, Ministry of Health, Dr Naydene Williams, and Bustamante Hospital’s acting manager, patient affairs, Jasmine Simmonds Henry.