So many positives in our Jamaica

Jamaica Observer column published 23 January 2023

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

It would have been easy to become absorbed in the alleged fraudulent activities in one financial institution, but three events last week reminded me that Jamaica still has so many positives.

We empathize with all who may have lost funds from this institution, particularly the elderly. However, they received some comforting news last week when The National Health Fund kicked off its 20^th Anniversary celebrations by announcing new benefits – let us ensure that our family and friends enjoy these new offerings.

At the press conference we heard from Health and Wellness Minister Dr Chris Tufton, Acting NHF Chairman Shane Dalling, CEO Everton Anderson, Anne Logan, Acting Senior Director - ICT, Individual Benefits and Research and Shermaine Robotham Director Health Promotion, PR & Customer Care.

The NHF is offering increased subsidies, new active pharmaceutical ingredients and the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test subsidies for male beneficiaries who are 40 years or older. Subsidies will be increased for approximately 400 drugs, benefitting over 350,000 active NHF cardholders. The new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) will be added to the NHF Programme for conditions including arthritis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, breast cancer, hypertension, and ischaemic heart disease.

For the JADEP programme (for persons over 60) new APIs will be added for five conditions: arthritis, asthma, glaucoma, hypertension and vascular disease. Approximately 21,000 active JADEP beneficiaries are in this programme. JADEP drugs are free of cost at JADEP participating pharmacies; beneficiaries are only required to pay a small fee to the pharmacy for dispensing the drug. The fee is $40 per prescription item for 1 to 5 drugs or $240 for six or more. The cost to fund the addition of these new benefits will range from $600- $900 million per annum.

We were reminded that the NHF card covers both NHF and JADEP benefits. There are now and 150 DrugServ and pharmacy locations islandwide where the JADEP benefits are available. There is a new online facility on the NHF website where doctors can confirm the conditions for which patients are being treated, thus quickly updating their benefits.

 

As reported by the Jamaica Observer's Balford Henry, Minister Tufton "called for advocacy around things, like school nutrition, sugary drinks, salt, sugar, fats, front-of-package labelling and tobacco legislation" citing them as being among the key issues affecting the NHF's resources.

He quoted the Minister's entreaty: "Don't just tell people that you have medication. Tell them how they can avoid needing the medication. Be bold in that regard; don't be shy. The marketers are not shy when they promote what they are promoting, so we shouldn't be shy."

Praying for community strength

Last week's annual National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) was held under the theme 'Strengthening Communities through Peace, Justice and Forgiveness'. 

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen called for unity at the event attended by political leaders, clergy, diplomats and private sector bosses: "A house divided against itself cannot stand," he warned. "There is so much in Jamaica which requires us to work together, to work in one accord, from the level of leadership. We, as leaders gathered here, must first demonstrate this by setting the example for the people to follow. We must always consider the impact of divisiveness when we, as leaders, make decisions."

Main speaker Bishop Christine Gooden-Benguche, the first woman District President of the Jamaica Methodist Church, continued along this line as quoted by Observer reporter Brittny Hutchinson:  "We must join hands to work for the benefit of all, setting aside our differences. The Church is not in competition with the State or vice versa for scarce benefits. The Church is a microcosm of this society. We share a common experience. Even where there are differences in methodology, all objectives are clearly outlined in the National Pledge and they remain the same."

She continued: "We must speak truth to power and this begins with the Church, under the spotlight fulfilling our God directed mandate. The Church stands ready to create safe spaces and common ground to facilitate engagement as we work towards efforts at peace-making and community building."

Youth Speaker 2023 Rhodes Scholar David Salmon said in his message: "We must also have a consensus on crime and maintain an unwavering commitment to its implementation. Placing our communities at the centre of these discussions is essential."

We were uplifted by the song of faith by the Manchester High School Choir, and the prayers from our three counties. Congratulations to the VMBS Group for their continued sponsorship of the NLPB.  We at PROComm consider it a blessing to have introduced the live broadcast element for the NLPB over 25 years ago and  continuing to serve.  "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."

National Sports Awards

It was a moveable feast of athletic talent – as we celebrated the triumphs of our Jamaican athletes at the 62^rd National Sports Awards sponsored by the RJR-Gleaner Sports Foundation. There was a sense of pride as we welcomed guest speaker Ambassador Nick Perry, the first Jamaican-born US Ambassador to Jamaica; to the delight of the KC members in the audience he applauded his alma mater's sporting prowess.

There on the stage were our super stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson receiving a series of awards, culminating in Fraser-Pryce's 5^th victory as the National Sportswoman of the year. Fraser-Pryce began her reply by lauding Shericka Jackson's "phenomenal performance" and symbolically sharing her award with her. "I'm really grateful that I had an amazing season last year," she said. "The aim was I wanted to run 10.5 and 10.4 … even though I didn't get that it was just still mind blowing to see year after year you continue to push and to show you know, athletes, young women .. that anything is possible when you put your mind your heart and your soul into it."

She continued: "It was just amazing to see everything unfold… I've been able to affirm in women athletes that nobody gets to write your story but you. It's not about who is standing next to you, who you're competing with; it is about doing you, being and becoming extraordinary in every single thing that you do and I'm grateful that I had the support of my team and very solid team. I cannot go without ever acknowledging them because they have been the source of inspiration .. and to see everything unfold is not just for me it's for them. It's for my husband my son of course my coach."

Sportsman of the year was the powerful hurdler Rasheed Broadbell who won Gold at the Commonwealth Games and impressed in the European Diamond Leagues. Cedella Marley received the Chairman's Award for her unstinting support of our Reggae Girlz and her smashing designs of sports gear for our athletes.

Allow me a 'big-up' to family friend Stella Maris altar server and Campion College Sports Woman of the Year Isabel Matthews for her young sportswoman's award.

Surely we can use these positive developments, expressions and performances to move Jamaica out of this bog of scandal. Yes, we can.

Photo caption

Celebrating NHF's 20th Anniversary:

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Chris Tufton, Acting NHF Chairman Shane Dalling, CEO Everton Anderson, Anne Logan, Acting Senior Director - ICT, Individual Benefits and Research and Shermaine Robotham Director Health Promotion, PR & Customer Care.

Re-setting our moral compass

Jamaica Observer column published 16 January 2023

Re-setting our moral compass

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

It was Shakespeare who wrote in 'The Merchant of Venice':

"Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!"

Thus, when this individual, having been de-certified in the US for child molestation, arrived in Jamaica in 2005, he named his organisations "The Father's House" and "Embracing Orphans", allegedly duping officials.  The YouTube clip shows a good-looking man joking about his hometown called Walla Walla in Washington state.  When people are fed with the Hollywood and comic book images of saviours like Tarzan and The Phantom, it is scary how easily they can be deceived.  Police sent terrified victims who begged to be rescued, back into the arms of the cannibal, Dahmer.

Then we are hearing about wealth advisors who are alleged to have stolen millions of dollars from various institutions.  What could have influenced such behaviour by individuals, making their way up the corporate ladder, working in sought after positions? Imagine, Usain Bolt could have invested his money anywhere, but as a keen nationalist he chose to invest in a Jamaican financial house, only to discover that millions of US dollars have gone missing from his account. This type of incident can erode the credibility of our financial institutions whose personnel are in the majority professional and ethical individuals.

This decay in morality has been happening worldwide and so it was welcome news when Yale University announced last month that its Divinity School (YDS) has established a Center for Public Theology and Public Policy with moral movement leader Bishop William J. Barber appointed as its founding director. YDS said the Center "will serve as a training ground for students, equipping them with a moral fusion framework as a guide for their chosen vocations and training them to engage in moral articulation, analysis, and action."

Here in Jamaica, outstanding citizens have cited the influence of parents, grandparents, pastors and teachers who have helped them to develop a strong moral compass. However in societies where materialism has eroded those foundational values, it will now be up to corporates and governing bodies to ensure that their customers and shareholders are protected from unethical employees. Our tertiary institutions include ethics in their business offerings but with this stream of offences coming to light, they may have to beef up their courses. Our churches and schools have been working at this but with issues of poor parenting, the role they play as moral leaders is even more important now.

This column has quoted futurist Edie Weiner who declared that time used to be the greatest luxury, but today it is trust that leads the way.  When we encourage our children to be trustworthy, check their schoolbags, promote diligence and loyalty among family and friends, we are building a society that will free us from the corruption that is holding us back.

Recently, Letta Gayle, Mentorship Officer of ICD's Multicare Foundation wrote to CCRP inviting our members to assist in their mentorship programme for at-risk young people. This is a welcome project, and we are sure that the response will be good when the invitation is circulated. The participation of seniors and retired persons in such programmes may bring the tender guidance that these young people had not experienced in their early childhood. Teachers who go the extra mile with their students have experienced this transformation and received much gratitude from past students who have set them on the right path.

Protecting our elders

Those of us who have been lucky enough to 'spend time' during our summer holidays with grandparents in rural Jamaica look back in thankfulness at our grannies' care and attention. However, these precious grandparents are now at risk with the scourge of elder abuse, particularly financial abuse, becoming more frequent.

At CCRP we have heard of a caregiver who took an ailing elder to the bank, persuading her to sign a sizeable withdrawal, and the stealing of furniture and appliances from people suffering from dementia. We are hoping that the Jamaica Banking Association will encourage their membership to take steps to protect their elderly account holders.

We have reports of physical, psychological and even sexual abuse. This is why, for the past five years we have been in dialogue with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to implement legislation for the care and protection of the elderly. We were advised that a Working Committee was being formed in preparation for this and are looking forward to participating in the discussions.

In checking the website of the Ministry of Health and Wellness we have noted that the certification of the Care Homes listed there has not been renewed since 2021. Our Jamaican elders who have built this country deserve better. We hope that the pleas of CCRP for regular monitoring of care homes and for legislation to protect our elderly will soon be answered.

Special Education Centre for Santa Cruz

As they forge ahead in their efforts to address our special needs community, the Digicel Foundation last week signed an agreement to partner with the Ministry of Education and Youth to renovate and expand the Santa Cruz Basic school to accommodate a Special Education centre for the town and the wider population of St. Elizabeth.

According to a JIS release, "Minister Williams commended the Digicel Foundation, noting that the entity's support to education over the years has assisted the Government's vision to develop the nation's children to their fullest potential, regardless of their social and economic backgrounds."

Senior Operations Manager at the Digicel Foundation, Jodi-Ann McFarlane noted that since its launch in 2004,  the Foundation has renovated 19 special needs schools, trained more than 746 teachers and parents in literacy and caregiving, thus benefiting more than 100,000 students.

Promising sports scene

What would we do without the generally positive news that we get from our sports women and men? The Sunshine Girls, fourth in the world got a generous boost from the National Baking Foundation and at press time had levelled the score 1-1 with the England Roses in their Three Test series. We are hoping for a great outcome when the final match is played.

Meanwhile our Reggae Girlz are at a training camp in Florida as they prepare for the Cup of Nations in Australia in February. Our women's senior national team is rated third in Concacaf and have again qualified for the Women's World Cup in July.

With JFF General Secretary Dennis Chung at the helm and the arrival of new Reggae Boyz  Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson and assistant John Wahl, hopes are high for our World Cup qualifying campaign.

We are still holding out hope for West Indies Cricket with our Under 19 Women's Team beginning their campaign for the ICC Women's U19 World Cup. Cricket is a treasured unifier of the West Indies and we continue to cheer for their return to their former glory.

 

Merrick Needham – a Colonel and a Gentleman

Jamaica Observer column published MON 9 January 2023

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

As the tributes poured in on the passing of Merrick Needham, it took me back to those intense days and nights preparing for Carifesta 76. The top players had some funny nicknames but the one I remember for Merrick was true and respectful: 'Merrick, the collarless cleric'.  Merrick Needham who had responsibility for Logistics and Communications for the Festival featuring 40 Caribbean countries, still had time to mentor us younger ones. I remember one team member who was framed by wrongdoers and when she tearfully related her story to Merrick, he comforted her in his signature style saying, "Chin up, be brave now – we will support you." He gave us the day off to accompany her to the trial in a rural area and celebrated with us when she was vindicated.  

To hear Merrick coordinating the transportation and accommodation of hundreds of participants, to observe how he prepared notes to ensure that we all understood our duties, to hear him address others firmly but respectfully was an education.

It was at Carifesta that Merrick forged a close friendship with netball legend Vilma McDonald who was on secondment from a Government Ministry to oversee the Festival's budget.  They were of one mind when it came to the stewardship of taxpayer's funds.  Vilma noted, "Since Carifesta, whenever Merrick was asked by the Government to manage a conference, he would insist that I was seconded to handle the budget."

Their families became close and it was only last year that Vilma's daughter, Michelle, who worked with Merrick Needham & Associates, wrote a tribute to her former boss in honour of his 88^th birthday. She wrote, "One could not pass through Merrick's hands without understanding what it meant to be meticulous, to always have a contingency plan, and be excellent in every way."

Merrick cared deeply about his country; he was born in England but returned to Jamaica with his English father and Jamaican mother to escape the dangers of World War II.  Merrick told me what a joy it was to ride his bicycle to St. Andrew Prep from their home on Trafalgar Road without any worry and how concerned he was that Jamaica's children could not enjoy the same peaceful environment.

After Carifesta, Merrick recommended me to serve on the Board of the Jamaica Family Planning Association (FamPlan) where co-founder Beth Jacobs leaned on him for guidance.  Our trips to the meetings in St Ann with then President Peter Myers at the steering wheel were replete with stories from Merrick's and Peter's schooldays at Priory High School and side-splitting humour from fellow members Joyce Gordon-Martin and Fay Harrison. I can just imagine the stories they are now swapping in their heavenly home.

During Carifesta, Merrick was dating the fabulous Camille Needham and the two married a few years later, a power couple for excellence in Jamaican protocol and hospitality. They were both so busy in their areas of responsibility that you rarely saw them together, and so it was a special delight that Hubie and I spent some lively evenings with them.

Camille recalls that there were murmurs about their age difference, "But anyone who knew Merrick well would know that I was the one trying to keep up with his pace." I remember the love and care they had for each other and in his later years when he went through a series of illnesses, he would say, "I don't know how I would manage if it weren't for my dear Camille."

Merrick loved his children Christopher, Fiona (from his first marriage to Erica Allen) and Dominic.  Yes, like most fathers he was a 'girl-dad' and appreciated Fiona's care and attention. But I also remember how touched he was when Dominic wrote him from England after he saw 'The King's Speech'.  Merrick treasured that letter in which Dominic told him that it brought back memories of Merrick's coaching of prominent Jamaicans who held their own on the podium thanks to his gifted father.

Merrick was so passionate about standards that any conference handled by his company impressed overseas participants and in Camille's words, "This is why Jamaica became so popular as the go-to location for international conferences."

In the Jamaica Observer's first report on Merrick's passing, Camille is quoted as saying, "Jamaica and the world have lost a most wonderful human being, a decent and generous man." Merrick was the personification of decency, a man of his word and generosity: he would take calls from anyone who needed assistance with matters of protocol and never asked for payment.  I would argue with him a lot about that, but he just couldn't help himself when it came to spreading the gospel of correct form.

We felt very much like Prime Minister Andrew Holness when he stated in a tweet, "What a tremendous loss we must now live with as we learn of the passing of protocol expert and passionate Jamaican nationalist Colonel Merrick Needham."

Merrick also had a special place in his heart for the Sisters of Mercy as his maternal aunt and late Mother Superior at Alpha was Sister Marie Therese Watson. When the then Alpha Boys School had a fire in the 80s it was Merrick who rallied a group of us to fund raise for the replacement of the building. There are still so many stories of his kindness left untold.

After his years of selfless service to the Jamaica Defence Force, Merrick Needham became the first Jamaican civilian to be commissioned as an Honorary Colonel. The Jamaica Observer reported: "The citation, read before the presentation of the commission on November 22, 2018 at the JDF's Up Park Camp headquarters in St Andrew, noted that Needham had been a dedicated supporter of the JDF for four decades and had participated in numerous military activities by freely offering his services in the production of the JDF's Alert magazine over many years, the Change of Command parades as a narrator, and the Military Tattoos in 1983 and 2012."

Merrick Needham touched countless lives. These were some of the many comments from my social media post on his passing:

Oliver Watt: "Thanks for the lessons Mr Needham. I've never again read out post nominals as you've advised."

Ambassador Aloun Assamba: "I remember being in the first Seminar he gave on Protocol for Corporate leaders in the early 1990s. What I learnt then from him has served me well over the years. When I was appointed to the Court of St James we spoke about what I should expect when I went to 'Buck House'."

Terry-Ann McDonald Tomlinson: "Merrick was the emcee at my wedding reception. He made it a night to remember. Happy memories."

On her last visit to Jamaica, Queen Elizabeth said to Merrick Needham before departing, "You have worked hard. I hope you get some rest."

Rest in peace my unforgettable brother-friend Merrick Needham. May your legacy give us the courage to make our Jamaica a banner for excellence in this New Year and beyond.

Photo caption

Merrick and Camille Needham