A humanitarian mission visit by the United States Naval Ship, Comfort, will provide free medical care for Saint Lucians.

The visit, coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Department of External Affairs, will provide two walk-in clinics for general services—one at the Owen King EU Hospital, and the other at a location which will be confirmed in September.

Medical Officer for Health, Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, said the services will be free of charge and open to all who need medical care.

“General services will be provided at these clinics which include basic medical evaluation and treatment, preventive medicine, dental screenings and treatments, optometry screenings and eye wear distribution, internal medicine, paediatrics, dermatology, women’s health, physical therapy and the provision of medication as needed,” Dr. George said. “The USNS Ship hospital will be providing diagnostic services and surgical care. The services provided are at US quality of care standards. The ship has the capacity of 100 admission beds and 30 ICU beds. Diagnostic procedures include CT scan, ultrasounds, x-ray, echocardiogram, laparoscopy, blood, stool and urine testing. A wide range of minor surgical procedures will also be available on the ship.”

Dr. Sharon Belmar-George notes, however, that a request from a local doctor is needed for diagnostic procedures and a referral from a physician is needed for surgical procedures as these procedures are pre-scheduled.

“Local medical health professionals will be working with the US medical teams during this mission,” Dr. George added. “The medical staff from the USNS will also be following the requirements for local health professional registration bodies. The Ministry of Health and Wellness is grateful for this opportunity for care for our people. All are encouraged to make full use of this opportunity.”

During its deployment in the region, the ship will also visit Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Saint Kitts, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The ship will be berthed at Port Castries in Saint Lucia from Sep. 23 to Oct. 2.

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