Brief History of the Medical Relief Association, Inc.
Mr. Fidel Caesar, an individual in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a passion for humanitarian work, founded the Medical Relief Association in 1991.
As an employee with the Department of Health and a former Red Cross volunteer, he gained first-hand knowledge about problems that confronted the health system in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Some of the problems identified were the shortage of general and specialist medical personnel; the lack of life-saving equipment and the shortage of medical and hospital supplies.
Mr. Caesar felt that there was need for a local organization with no religious, political or governmental affiliation that connects with foreign medical mission groups and donors of surplus medical goods and hospital supplies. He felt that by using his connection, there would be significant improvement in the delivery of care through the help of visiting medical volunteers and supplies donations. This inspired Mr. Caesar to form the Medical Relief Association. A number of interested persons from various professions – social work, civil service, teaching, accounting and medicine were then invited to attend a meeting. This subsequently led to the official formation of the Medical Relief Association and its full incorporation as a not-for-profit organization on the 21st October 1992.
