Retired police officers of the Association of Past Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (APMJCF) were treated to free health checks on Tuesday (February 28) at the National Health Fund (NHF) health fair that was established in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last December.

The health fair, which was held at the St John’s Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay, St James, offered nutrition counselling, a physical activity session and health checks to the Chapter One members of the association, which spans the parishes of Hanover, St James, Trelawny and Westmoreland.

The retired officers benefited from screening tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, haemoglobin, and blood circulation, as well as for checks such as BMI & waist circumference, ECG, the PSA/DRE, mammogram, and pap smear that came at no cost to them.

“The statistics show that there is a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among retired Jamaicans and that this same demographic group often face financial difficulty in meeting their health needs. The NHF saw this MOU as an opportunity to help this special group of retirees know their numbers. It is the hope that the members of the association will take the necessary follow-up action to preserve their health and well-being,” said Everton Anderson, NHF’s chief executive officer.

The NHF is set to host a second health fair later this year.

The two-year MOU also provides a nutrition workshop, an exercise session, a mental health session and a medication compliance session per quarter.

Harris Daley, president of the AMPJCF, said: “When the NHF decided to partner with us we embraced it because after we stop working some of us resort to sitting down and not moving around. This initiative is good in that it brings past members of the JCF to join together and think seriously about our own physical being, mental being and also how important it is to be healthy at this point in our lives. We are realising that inactivity can be detrimental to their own being. There are no words for me to explain how appreciative we are of this initiative.”

The retired cops present at the fair, who are living with any of the 17 conditions covered by the fund, were encouraged to enrol in the NHFCard Programme.

The 17 chronic conditions are Arthritis, Asthma, Benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), Breast cancer, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Glaucoma, High cholesterol, Hypertension, Ischaemic heart disease, Lupus, Major depression, Prostate cancer, Psychosis, Rheumatic fever/Heart disease, Sickle Cell Disease, and Vascular disease.

Other health fairs will be hosted throughout the year for other special groups and the public as the NHF marks its 20th anniversary.

The NHF is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Jamaicans by promoting healthy lifestyle practices and encouraging health-seeking behaviours.