The Louis Grant Medical Centre (LGMC), formerly known as The Foundation for International Self Help Development (F.I.S.H.) Clinic is rolling out its calendar of events for 2025 as it celebrates its 40^th anniversary.

Located at 19 Gordon Town Road in Papine, St Andrew, the medical centre was founded in 1985 by the late Professor Louis Grant, a social activist and professor emeritus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, as a non-profit organisation. Initially, the clinic relied heavily on volunteers from Canada, the United Kingdom and United States of America and on donations from philanthropists, especially from Canada where Professor Grant had worked for 10 years in public health after retiring from The UWI.

The Louis Grant Medical Centre began as a community project, serving mainly marginalised individuals in the Papine/Gordon Town area, and has since grown to serving patients from every parish in Jamaica. It provides access to high-quality optical, medical and dental care at affordable rates to people who are marginalised or underserved. 

There is also an optical dispensary that sells eye glasses at extremely reasonable prices as well as a pharmacy and, more recently, a counselling centre and a children’s clinic.  Medical offerings include ante- and post-natal care and immunisation services by public health nurses, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“In this celebratory anniversary year the activities began officially on Sunday, February 23, with a church service at the Christian Life Fellowship Church, 21 Gordon Town Road. Founder’s Day, was held at the headquarters on Friday, February 28, in acknowledgement and recognition of long-standing patients/clients. and on Saturday, April 26 (again at the headquarters), there will be a health fair from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm,” a release from the organisation outlined.

At the health fair in April, several government-led and private sector organisations, such as NHF and LASCO, will have booths. In addition, there will be talks on non-communicable diseases as well as on HIV prevention by LGMC doctors.

For the month of May, a children’s activity is planned. Thereafter, the 40^th anniversary celebrations will culminate with a gala dinner at the Jamaica Pegasus in New Kingston on Saturday, October 11.

“This promises to be a grand affair, with entertainment by a chamber group of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica and guest speaker, business leader, philanthropist and attorney-at-law, Mr Howard Mitchell, CD, JP,” the release further shared.

Information on tickets to the gala dinner will be available soon, and so LGMC encourages the public to “stay tuned”.