By 3 a.m. on Friday Virgin Islands men had started lining up at the BVI Red Cross building in Road Town to get screened for prostate cancer and other health problems.
By midday, hundreds had already been checked in, and by the time all three days of the Red Cross’ annual health screening are over, organisers expect to see about 1,000 patients.
“It’s a sign people are more aware of their health,” said Dr. John Franklin, a United States Virgin Islands physician who has volunteered with the screenings for many years. “It’s a sign their health is important to them.”
Having so many other participants in the event can make it less intimidating, said Dickson Igwe, who has attended the screening regularly for the last 10 years or so.
“There was a fear of being poked and pricked by doctors, but I wasn’t alone, and that helped,” Mr. Igwe said, adding that he needn’t have worried.
“It’s not a painful procedure at all,” he said.
See the Feb. 2, 2012 edition for full coverage.