Hue family gives back to Tweedside, Clarendon
HEALTH MINISTER Dr Christopher Tufton has hailed the generosity of Florida-based Jamaicans Eric and Dr Hyacinth Hue for their donation of a two-storey building, valued at $40 million, which will house a clinic.
The facility, located in Tweedside, Clarendon, will offer antenatal, dressing, child health, curative (general) and family planning, among other services.
It is equipped with blood pressure monitors, examination tables, wheelchairs, infant and adult scales, desks, chairs, and a doctor’s and nurse’s office. There is adequate water supply, ample parking and easy access for all.
Named the Eric & Dr Hyacinth Hue Health Centre, the clinic will be open Mondays to Fridays and have the services of a doctor once per month.
Dr Tufton urged the residents “to take care of the building, cherish it, and give thanks for the blessings that they have received”.
He said the Government values partnership with private stakeholders for the development of the health sector.
“We in Government are always happy when these partnerships are established and manifest themselves in a tangible way. Public health for us is a partnership, and today is a manifestation of that,” he pointed out.
Dr Tufton said that there were some 200 health missions to the island last year, including clinics and donations of equipment, cash and kind, representing five per cent of the $63-billion health budget for 2017-18.
LONG IN THE MAKING
“We salute that because the reality is, we would never have enough to do what is required, and the growing and global trend in public health is to seek out and forge partnerships to satisfy the increasing challenges of public health,” he said.
Jerez Hue, who spoke on behalf of her parents, said the presentation of the health centre was long in the making and she was happy it was finally a reality.
She noted that they have been giving back to Clarendon and Jamaica for many years.
Eric and Dr Hyacinth Hue, who are now serving as missionaries, have also organised health missions, through which residents benefit from free health services.
The two-storey building was constructed in 2002 to enhance social services for the community as part of her family’s vision to support the health and educational needs of the residents.
It was being utilised as a school and postal agency, and will continue to offer those services.