Jamaica Cultural Development Commission

The Performing Arts category of the annual Festival of the Arts, mounted by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) as part of the national independence celebrations annually, has been a major beneficiary of funding support from the CHASE Fund, given the JCDC’s influence in the retention of our culture through its work with teachers, students, and community groups across the island.

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The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) – the country’s leading medical training institution – caters to students from Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean, and also delivers a range of services to patients. The CHASE Fund has provided a total J$192 million in grants to the UHWI in support of its quest to maintain the high standards required under the terms of its accreditation, and to keep pace with modern practice.

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Jamaica was one of the first two countries to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007. The Convention provides that persons in this social grouping have the right to economic and social security and to a decent standard of living; to develop their capabilities and skills to the maximum level; and to be integrated into the society, as far as possible.     

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A contribution by CHASE also facilitated the establishment of the Public Dialysis Unit at the Mandeville Regional Hospital three years ago. Prior to this, some 83.6% of the patients who attended the institution’s renal clinic died without receiving dialysis. Chronic renal failure is an increasingly significant national health issue, as approximately 10% of the growing number of diabetics ends up with this condition. The lack of available space on public dialysis machines, and the high cost of private treatment prevent many persons from accessing the necessary care.

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Recognition of the important role that good nutrition plays in the development of cognitive capabilities, such as learning and problem solving among children under five years old, prompted the CHASE Fund to assist the Early Childhood Commission in 2006 as it embarked on a pilot study involving more than 1,000 children from 24 basic schools in St. Mary.

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Against the background of a steady increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in Jamaica between 1993 and 2002, and in an effort to learn more about the factors that cause this disease, and identify prevention strategies, a medical team from the University Hospital of the West Indies conducted a study from March 2005 to July 2007, partially funded by CHASE at a cost of J$6.4 million. 

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The CHASE Fund has made a significant contribution to initiatives by Local Government authorities to change the concept of infirmaries for the indigent poor. Many of the facilities, which are operated in parishes across the island, are housed in dilapidated structures that no longer meet the needs of the people they serve; and budgetary constraints have prevented the necessary infrastructure development.

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The World Bank estimates that 63% of “Years of Lost Life” in Jamaica is due to non-communicable diseases. And, more than half of these deaths are caused by cardiovascular disesase (CVD), which results in hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, coronary and kidney disease. This poses a serious threat to the country’s economic and social development, as a large percentage of the people affected are less than 60 years old and in the most productive period of life.

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Dudley Grant Memorial Trust: Driving Curriculum Development

Revision of the Early Childhood curriculum is a critical element in the transformation of the sector and the assistance provided by the CHASE Fund for the project, which was undertaken over several years, reaffirms its commitment to development at this level of the education system.

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Cardiac patients in Western Jamaica and further afield now have access to modern and affordab le diagnostic services at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, which acquired an echocardiogram machine and related equipment in 2009, to become the only institution offering this service in the government health system.

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