- The US doctors returned to Jamaica to restart their work after a 20-month standstill
- This centre offers free treatment to local children with mobility problems resulting from accidents or birth defects
Each year, the Negril Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic founded by RIU welcomes the US doctors that form part of the hotel chain’s “charitable accommodation” programme. After their activity was brought to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic has once again welcomed the entire medical team involved in this great social project. This is excellent news for the local community as, thanks to the reopening of the clinic, 59 children from the local area with mobility problems were able to resume their treatment and received care totally free of charge.
This medical centre has been operating in Negril for 12 years thanks to the four 3-day missions carried out by volunteer doctors each year. In 2021, however, a fifth trip is expected to make up for the time lost in children’s treatment due to the pandemic.
The American specialists were, once again, supported by the director Elaine Allen-Bradley, head of administration, medical appointments and patient training. Over ten years, the team has worked together to treat hundreds of Jamaican children, raising the island’s standard of health care and enabling many patients to increase their mobility or even take their first steps in a matter of hours.
This project is part of the “charitable accommodation” programme, in which the RIU chain covers the stay of all doctors that offer treatment on a voluntarily basis in the clinic. What’s more, the chain has also covered the clinic’s rent and maintenance costs since it was opened in 2009.
