(Back row, from left) Dr Navin Reddy, Bette Grant Otunla and Tayo Otunla, (front row, from left) Rohan and Kirin Reddy were in attendance at The Louis Grant Medical Centre’s 40th anniversary celebration church service at Christian Life Fellowship Church on Gordon Town Road in St Andrew
The Louis Grant Medical Centre (LGMC), formerly known as The Foundation for International Self Help Development (F.I.S.H.) Clinic is rolling out its calendar of events for 2025 as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Located at 19 Gordon Town Road in Papine, St Andrew, the medical centre was founded in 1985 by the late Professor Louis Grant, a social activist and professor emeritus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, as a non-profit organisation. Initially, the clinic relied heavily on volunteers from Canada, the United Kingdom and United States of America and on donations from philanthropists, especially from Canada where Professor Grant had worked for 10 years in public health after retiring from The UWI.
The pharmacy at The Louis Grant Medical Centre in Papine, St Andrew
The Louis Grant Medical Centre began as a community project, serving mainly marginalised individuals in the Papine/Gordon Town area, and has since grown to serving patients from every parish in Jamaica. It provides access to high-quality optical, medical and dental care at affordable rates to people who are marginalised or underserved.
There is also an optical dispensary that sells eye glasses at extremely reasonable prices as well as a pharmacy and, more recently, a counselling centre and a children’s clinic. Medical offerings include ante- and post-natal care and immunisation services by public health nurses, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“In this celebratory anniversary year the activities began officially on Sunday, February 23, with a church service at the Christian Life Fellowship Church, 21 Gordon Town Road. Founder’s Day, was held at the headquarters on Friday, February 28, in acknowledgement and recognition of long-standing patients/clients. and on Saturday, April 26 (again at the headquarters), there will be a health fair from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm,” a release from the organisation outlined.
Despite rain, Founder’s Day at The Louis Grant Health Centre was well attended.
At the health fair in April, several government-led and private sector organisations, such as NHF and LASCO, will have booths. In addition, there will be talks on non-communicable diseases as well as on HIV prevention by LGMC doctors.
For the month of May, a children’s activity is planned. Thereafter, the 40th anniversary celebrations will culminate with a gala dinner at the Jamaica Pegasus in New Kingston on Saturday, October 11.
“This promises to be a grand affair, with entertainment by a chamber group of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica and guest speaker, business leader, philanthropist and attorney-at-law, Mr Howard Mitchell, CD, JP,” the release further shared.
Founder and executive chairman of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons Jamaica Jean Lowrie-Chin makes some remarks during Founder’s Day at The Louis Grant Medical Centre in Papine, St Andrew, on Friday, February 28. 2025.
Information on tickets to the gala dinner will be available soon, and so LGMC encourages the public to “stay tuned”.
Professor Louis Grant (1913–1993) was a distinguished Jamaican microbiologist and pathologist whose contributions significantly advanced public health both locally and internationally. Born in Mitchell Town, Clarendon, his early academic excellence earned him the Vere Trust Scholarship to Jamaica College, traditionally a school for the privileged. His dedication and aptitude led him to a position at the government laboratory, where his interest in medicine deepened, eventually guiding him to pursue medical studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Upon returning to Jamaica, Professor Grant embarked on a mission to combat prevalent diseases. In the 1940s, he collaborated with international organizations to initiate a mass vaccination campaign against tuberculosis, a disease that was rampant on the island at the time. This initiative is credited with breaking the cycle of infection and significantly reducing the spread of the disease.
During the 1960s, Professor Grant’s research focused on several critical health issues affecting Jamaica. He identified leptospirosis, a severe fever transmitted through contact with the urine of infected animals, notably rats, and launched public education campaigns to mitigate its spread. Additionally, he addressed an outbreak of equine encephalitis among horses, implementing containment measures that protected Jamaica’s horse racing industry from potential devastation. His investigative work also led to the identification of dengue fever in Jamaica, establishing that it was transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same vector responsible for yellow fever.
In 1975, driven by a commitment to accessible healthcare, Professor Grant founded the Foundation for International Self-Help (FISH) Clinic at 19 Gordon Town Road near Papine. This clinic was established to serve less fortunate Jamaicans, ensuring they received quality medical assistance without the burden of prohibitive costs or long waiting periods. He forged partnerships with top medical universities and specialists overseas, facilitating exchanges that benefited both the visiting professionals and the local community. The clinic provided services in ophthalmology, dentistry, and general medicine, significantly enhancing healthcare accessibility for underserved populations.
Professor Grant’s legacy continues through the Louis Grant Medical Centre, formerly the FISH Clinic, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. The center remains a testament to his vision of affordable healthcare, offering a comprehensive range of medical services to individuals from all parishes of Jamaica.
Throughout his illustrious career, Professor Grant authored over 90 scientific publications in microbiology and public health. His unwavering dedication to improving public health and his innovative approaches to disease prevention and treatment have left an indelible mark on Jamaica’s medical landscape. His life’s work exemplifies the profound impact of combining scientific expertise with a deep commitment to community service.
