When a child arrives at the Father Ray Children’s Home it is not known what their health status is. A newcomer may look healthy, he or she may be the picture of health, but in many cases there are underlying problems.
Years of neglect and poverty often leave a child malnourished, growth is stunted and infections have left the body damaged.
Within a few hours of arriving at the Children’s Home the child or teenager will be assessed by the in house nurse. Within a week they will visit the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya for a full medical check up.
The youngest boy at the Children’s Home was not too happy with his nurse.
Blood is tested for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and other infections. Chest x-rays are taken to check for tuberculosis and pneumonia. Stool samples are tested for worms, and the children will visit the dentist, an optician and have a general check up to ascertain the general health of each child.
The Bangkok Hospital Pattaya gives these examinations at a very special price, just one thousand two hundred baht per child, and approximately one hundred new arrivals visit the hospital each year.
Brother Denis Gervais, vice president of the Father Ray Foundation, receives the donation from William Macey, charity chairman at the Pattaya Sports Club.
A healthy child will do better at school, will be better behaved at home and able to join in activities with friends. A chronically ill child is at risk of being alienated from his or her peers, their education will suffer and they may lack self esteem.
Thanks to the generosity from the members of the Pattaya Sports Club the next one hundred new arrivals at the Children’s Home will also have the chance to receive these health checks.
A recent donation of one hundred and twenty thousand baht will ensure that the underprivileged children of Pattaya have a chance of a healthier life.
More information can be found at www.pattayasports.org or www.fr-ray.org
