Over 120 residents from the Region Two villages of St. Monica and Lima Sands have received free spectacles through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s EyeCare programme.
With testing conducted just over a month ago, subject Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud returned to the communities to engage the residents and give them their new free tested spectacles, a release from the ministry said.
“This is a very impactful programme in the sense that if you are not able to see as well as you should, reading becomes a challenge, work becomes very difficult and school becomes tough so bringing the spectacles here, we hope this can help you manage better”, she said.
She added: “We want to make sure this programme gets to every nook and cranny of this country and since 2021 to now we have managed to distribute just under 3,000 spectacles at no cost to the beneficiaries. We are doing this because our government believes that people must have a good quality of life.”
Head of the Difficult Circumstances Unit, Jashudra Seeram, who spearheaded the outreaches said that the programme targets vulnerable persons, primarily school children, pensioners and single parents who, for one circumstance or another, cannot afford spectacles despite needing them. Eve Samuels, Toshao of St. Monica, which sits 40 miles from Charity on the eastern bank of the Pomeroon River said, “This exercise has never been done in St. Monica and I am very happy for this exercise. I know the residents benefiting from it are excited. What you find is that it is very costly, and it is not easy to go out and get it and today they are getting it free so thank God for the Ministry for looking at us.” According to the release, Nicholas Portman, headmaster of St. Monica Primary school stated, “I must say it is a very good initiative for the Ministry to come to this village. Indeed, I think it is important for us to have eye care, it is costly for us to reach the eye clinic and for them to come, we are happy for the Government to come help the people of St. Monica and the children will benefit.”
“I am happy to be treated by this Ministry, unlike years ago under former governments who never gave us assistance for our eyes so thanks to the Ministry for making sure the citizens are well kept,” said pensioner Garvin Edwards.
