Indian Navy crew donate food and medical supplies to home for the elderly |07 July 2022

The elderly residents in a souvenir photograph with the navy’s crew (Photo: Salome Abel)

The residents of the English River Home for the Elderly have received a donation of commodities from the crew of visiting Indian Navy Ship (INS) Kolkata.

The handover of the donation took place yesterday in a short ceremony organised by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family.

Present for the handover were First Lady Linda Ramkalawan; the head of the Indian high commission, Vikram Grewal; principal secretary in the Family department, Clive Roucou; director general for Elderly and Disabled Division, Rosa Morin; representatives of Jeo Jyoti Foundation and of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family; crew members of the INS Kolkata and residents of the elderly home.

Medical supplies such as multivitamins, masks, ointments, and a first aid box were some of the items donated along with some test kits for haemoglobin, blood sugar and blood pressure. Blankets and bed sheets were also given to help improve the comfort of the residents of the elderly home.

The donation was officially handed over to Savina Larue, a representative for the home for the elderly, by the commanding officer of the INS Kolkata, Captain Manmeet Singh Khurana.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the elderly residents received a free medical screening from a medical officer of the INS Kolkata to examine the levels of their health.

“Today is just an example of how important defence forces are for the health care and human resource development of the region,” Mr Grewal said.

He added that the collaboration between INS Kolkata and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family, through the Indian high commission, is just the continuation of their plans to show their support for Seychelles.

“We provide a healing touch to our citizens and it is always our endeavour to provide a healing touch to anywhere where our ships and any other uniform personnel are deployed.”

Captain Khurana then followed with a few words of gratitude, wishing all the elderly residents good health and happiness.

On behalf of the elderly and disabled division, Ms Morin expressed her sincere appreciation to the Indian government for the kind donation.

The home administrator of the English River Home for the Elderly, Celine Baccus, stated that they hope to have more collaborations and cooperation in the distant future.

Mr Grewal also noted that he hopes to raise awareness about the importance of health through these charitable actions and hopes that it proves to be beneficial for the entire community.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the handover ceremony.

Sylia Ah-Time