The Bustamante Hospital for Children, with support from the private sector, has awarded several children for participating in a poster design competition for primary schools, to heighten child safety awareness.
Staged as part of its Child Month activities in May, the competition was geared at sensitising parents and caregivers about critical interventions that should be implemented to safeguard children three to 17 years of age against the ingestion of corrosive substances and to prevent other serious injuries.
Other activities held during the month included sensitisation sessions, and a TikTok competition for high schools. Prizes included tablet computers and gift vouchers from sponsors.
Addressing the prize-giving ceremony at the hospital on June 30, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Dr. Michelle-Ann Richards Dawson, said there was a need to hear from the children on how their safety should be enhanced, and “we are here to ensure that our children are safe”.
The SMO said that a big part of injuries to children had to do with supervision, and that the “whole aim of our campaign was prevention, because when some things happen, they have life-long implications”.
Meanwhile, Patient Affairs Manager at the hospital, Ta’amara Irvine Strachan, reported that an increase in injuries to children was a concern to the institution, and as social workers, it is their duty to empower parents on ways to protect children, hence the launch of the campaign.
“It was important for us to send a message of child protection and safety on a greater scale. We wanted persons, nationally, to know what it is that they need to do to protect their children. We also wanted the children to know their rights and what they can do to safeguard themselves,” she said.
Among the partners in the campaign were the Ministry of Health and Wellness, through the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA); the Ministry of Education and Youth; Global Media Services; I-Print Digital Jamaica; Nu U Limited; Dr. Book Wiggles; Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation, and Worldwide Technology.
– JIS News
