Michael Abrahams | Enduring legacy of Prof John Golding

While speaking at a political conference last Sunday evening, the Jamaica Labour Party's Everald Warmington delivered an incendiary, racially charged tirade against the People's National Party's leader, Mark Golding, solely based on his ethnicity. Even though Golding was born in Jamaica, Warmington dragged his parents into the fray, asking, “Wey Mark Golding mother and father come from? A white man … from England,” adding, “Wey fi dem leader come from? Backra master.”

The reference to Golding's parents in Warmington's diatribe got me thinking about his father. Yes, he was white and hailed from England, but his contributions to our predominantly black country are immeasurable.

John Simon Rawson Golding was born in London on April 15, 1921, and received his education and medical training in England. In 1953, he accepted the post of senior lecturer in orthopaedic surgery at the newly opened University College Hospital of the West Indies, now known as the University Hospital of the West Indies. Six months after his arrival, Jamaica experienced its first poliomyelitis epidemic, with the viral infection taking lives and leaving approximately 1,500 people with varying degrees of paralysis.

Amid this crisis, Golding rose to the challenge, not only treating polio patients in the hospital, but also travelling to visit and treat those afflicted with the disease at their homes and other places of isolation. Undaunted by the fact that polio vaccines had not yet been available, which added to the scariness of the scenario, he nevertheless went full steam ahead, exposing and placing himself at risk during his valiant mission to provide relief and assist with healing.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

Realising the devastating physical, mental and social sequelae of the disease, he aggressively adopted and executed a holistic approach to managing the disaster. He promptly set up a rehabilitation unit in an abandoned drama theatre, establishing the Polio Rehabilitation Centre. When the epidemic subsided, the unit was renamed the Mona Rehabilitation Centre (and later Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre), catering to polio survivors and those with physical disabilities from congenital, traumatic, infectious, and other causes. The centre filled a gaping void and served not only Jamaica, but also the remainder of the English-speaking Caribbean. Professor Golding also helped establish Coconut Park, an amusement park at Hope Gardens, which provided income for disabled persons and helped generate revenue for Mona Rehab. In addition, to maximise the care of the disabled, he established the School of Physical Therapy and an orthotics and prosthetics workshop.

But this was just the beginning. Continuing on his holistic pathway to manage mind, body and spirit, Sir John realised that caring for patients and assisting them to mobilise in the limited setting of an institution was insufficient. It was also necessary to reintegrate them into society to maximise their social well-being, which is a crucial component of health, and his actions reflected this. For example, understanding the importance of the disabled engaging in sporting activities, he formed the Jamaica Paraplegic Association. He was also instrumental in setting up the 1966 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Jamaica. Along with Jamaican Olympian Dr Arthur Wint, he also initiated the Jamaica Sports Medicine Association, providing voluntary support for Jamaican athletes.

Recognising the need for the disabled to be educated, he subsequently founded the Hope Valley Experimental School. The institution, a primary school built on the grounds adjacent to the centre, is the first school in the Caribbean to integrate disabled and normally able children. Also, being aware of the continued needs of patients who leave the centre, and the shortage of housing for the disabled in Jamaica, especially for those dependent on crutches or wheelchairs, he built the Cheshire Village, an integrated community of 21 housing units. The community houses both able-bodied and disabled ex-patients, with the idea that the former would assist the latter when necessary. The centre also has a business arm, Monex, which the Mona Rehabilitation Foundation administers, providing jobs for the disabled through various projects, facilitating the transition of its participants into the outside working world.

HOSPICE MOVEMENT

Sir John's attention was not solely directed at the rehabilitation centre and its environs. He also developed an interest in the hospice movement and in helping terminally ill cancer patients, and so opened the Hospice Home Care and the Hospice Pain Care centres.

At the other end of the spectrum of disease is prevention, and Golding made his presence felt in that arena as well. Many of the injuries that leave people disabled occur due to motor vehicle accidents, and his concerns about this led to the initiation of the National Road Safety Council of Jamaica, an organisation charged with introducing safe-driving laws. At the time of his death, breathalysers had been introduced, and he was negotiating with the Government over legal requirements for seat belts and crash helmets, as well as the institution of drug testing.

While directing all the above activities, Golding was also engaged in much research. His research included subjects of particular interest in the tropics, such as the bones in sickle cell disease, tuberculosis of the spine, scoliosis and Blount's disease. In 1994, he was elected chairman of the Commonwealth Caribbean Medical Research Council, an organisation promoting and coordinating research within the region.

Golding's work earned him numerous accolades, including the Order of Jamaica (one of the highest decorations the country can give), the Institute of Jamaica's Musgrave gold medal, and being knighted in 1986. His favourite maxim was, “The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because we can do so little.” Professor Sir John Golding did not just do a lot; his contribution to our country is of a magnitude few can even approach, and for that, my gratitude to him knows no bounds. He was no “backra master”.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @mikeyabrahams.