00:00A cross-section of the community turned out for a free health fair hosted by Tunapuna Member of Parliament Roger
00:07Alexander at his constituency office.
00:10The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offered a range of free medical screenings, including
00:16blood pressure, vitamin testing, and dietary consultations.
00:21You can check your heart, you can check your blood pressure, there are tests for vitamin, IVs, and a number
00:28of different issues here.
00:29Because what we try to do, we try to incorporate everything.
00:32So when somebody leaves here, it's like you're going by a doctor, and you send it to a specialist, and
00:39then you send it for counseling and therapy at the same time.
00:41We have everything here. There's a collection of persons here, there are the dieticians here, and a number of persons.
00:47Alexander says the initiative is aimed at making health care more accessible while encouraging people to take advantage of preventative
00:55screenings before health problems become more serious.
00:59I'm hoping that all the persons here today, they would leave here with a better understanding of their health.
01:07And also, I'm hoping to God that no one is identified today as having such a major issue that it
01:18might impact for the rest of their life.
01:20But if it does, I'm hoping that it's an early detection so something could happen and it could change.
01:26He says community outreach programs like this are especially important for people who may delay routine medical checkups or face
01:35barriers to accessing health care.
01:37Alexander adds that knowing key health indicators such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels can lead to earlier treatment
01:46and better health outcomes.
01:47On another matter, Alexander announced the launch of a six-week mentorship program for young men scheduled to run from
01:55July 13th to August 24th.
01:58The initiative, he says, was inspired by a conversation with a 17-year-old about the challenges facing young males
02:05in society.
02:06He said to me, Alexander, you know why young men this age are given so much trouble?
02:14Well, you know me, I could come up with several reasons because I was in law enforcement.
02:19I said, why?
02:20He said, in a bid for equality with women and for women, society forget the males.
02:32And I thought of it for a little while and I said, no, something's wrong.
02:35And then it hit me.
02:37So why are we focusing really on trying to get equality for the female?
02:40We forget the males.
02:42Alexander says the program is intended to promote equal opportunities for young men
02:47while complementing initiatives already offered to young women.
02:51I am going for equality too.
02:53I just had a bunch of young women came and do their course.
02:56I intend to have some young men.
02:58So starting from Monday, we have 30, 60, sorry, 60 men, various ages to come.
03:07Young men could come and start something at my constituency office.
03:11Shala Kisto, TV6 News.
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