Posted by Public Image Team (PIT) on Apr 05, 2018

Rotary aid for heart patients

 
THE Rotary Club of St Augustine has saved the lives of more than 1,200 heart patients in TT over the past 32 years, says immediate past president Gary Williams.
 

Of that figure, he said, 549 of those medical cases were attended to between July 2016 and July 2017, under the banner of the club’s two flagship projects: the Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) and Heart Beat International Trinidad and Tobago (HBITT ).

While both projects sourced pacemakers from manufacturers across the globe at no cost, the Heart Beat International initiative also secured the services of surgeons pro-bono, said a media release. Williams recently disclosed this success at the 49th Handing Over Ceremony to mark the 2017-2018 Rotary term at the Teaching and Learning Centre, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

“From inception in 1985 to 2017 altogether 1,500 lives have been saved in TT alone; whilst another 1,594 devices have been distributed to other HBI Heart Centres around the world in places like India, Philippines, Paraguay, Honduras and Dominican Republic. In effect our Rotary Club has saved 3,094 lives from 1985 to 2017,” Williams said while reporting on his 2016-2017 stewardship.

The Heart Beat International initiative was a joint project with other organisations, inclusive of other Rotary Clubs. Williams, who has taken up the post of assistant district governor with responsibility for four clubs in east Trinidad, as well as those in Tobago.

During the Rotary year 2016-2017, he said, the club combined with the individual efforts of members made donations to the Rotary Foundation estimated at more than US$9,000.

Locally, donations were made to several causes including The Dyslexia Association the sponsoring of a teacher to become certified in diagnosing dyslexia.

In the aftermath of tropical Storm Bret which caused flooding in several parts of Trinidad, the club rallied its members to assist the affected citizens in Caparo.

The club then partnered with insurer Sagicor and the Rotary Club of Piarco to provide similar relief to the Piarco/St Helena community, and assisted similar efforts in south.

In addressing the club’s future, Williams noted new members were being recruited through the Interact and Rotaract systems.

Since 2003, the club has been sponsoring and supporting the Rotaract Club of St Augustine which caters for people ages 18- 30.

In 2014, the club began supporting the Interact Club of St Augustine Girls’ High School which recruits member’s ages 12-18.