Black Immigrant Daily News
As part of their ongoing Adopt-A-School programme for the current school year, Sagicor recently paid a visit to the St Martin’s Mangrove and Workman’s Primary schools, to conduct basic health and wellness checks of both sets of students, teachers, and ancillary staff.
One by one, each individual was ushered into the Sagicor branded Mobile Medical Unit for an assessment, along with receiving information and guidance as to what good health should look and feel like, in addition to any warning signs to be on the lookout for.
Performing the checks was Sagicor’s in-house Nurse, Rosanna Springer, who explained that the exercise was intended to identify any existing or potential health challenges, information on which would then be passed on to the relevant teachers and parents for follow-up with their family physician or a medical specialist, depending on the area of concern.
“Many children across Barbados do not undergo periodic health checks, which means that unless they bring attention to a challenge they are experiencing, health issues could potentially go undiagnosed”, said Springer. “These issues may also have an impact on the students’ learning ability, which could therefore negatively affect their educational growth and development”, she added.
During the visit, each student’s vision and hearing was evaluated, while basic checks were also conducted with respect to blood pressure, height and weight.
“Brief conversations were also had with each student to explain the importance of the various checks, what the information from each test means, as well as the impact they have on their overall health”, Springer explained.
Speaking on the activity, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sagicor Life Inc, Paul Inniss, said that this is yet another example of the company’s commitment to executing the main elements of the Adopt-A-School programme, relative to improving the physical environment and safety at the school, improving the health of the students and supporting the school’s educational programmes.
“As a health insurance provider, we see first-hand the impact that poor health can have on individuals’ lives, as well as their finances. At this early stage, the growth and development of these students can be set back by unknown or unchecked health issues that negatively impact their ability to concentrate or take in information”, argued Inniss. “Maintaining good health is therefore something that will be encouraged among the students at all of our adopted schools in Barbados and across the region.”
In December of last year, the Sagicor Group officially launched its Adopt-A-School programme, with eight primary schools being adopted across the Southern Caribbean for the 2021-2022 school year. St Martin’s Mangrove Primary in St. Philip and Workman’s Primary in St George were the schools selected in Barbados, following a period of nomination and shortlisting by the company’s team members, with the selected schools being voted on by a staff committee.
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