SHE HAS not been in the medical industry for many years, but what she has seen so far has spurred a passion to help her country, especially in making the health-delivery system more effective.

"Personally, I would really like to, at some point in time, be part of a team that possibly looks into implementing policy that enables us to make this whole free health care effective, the whole process efficient," said Dr Claudine DeSouza yesterday as she received her Gleaner Honour Award. "Even though we have limited resources we can make the most out of it."

Twenty-four-year-old DeSouza, one of the youth recipients of this year's Gleaner Honour Awards, was recognised not only for her hard work in getting so far, but also for the potential she has to change the world around her.

An eye-opening experience

DeSouza, who hails from Manchester, has described her experiences at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital and the Kingston Public Hospital as eye-opening.

"It's quite humbling being in the system now because a lot of things become apparent to you and the limitation of the system and the limitation of resources, especially in light of the new free health-care system, we are getting to see areas where a lot more resources are needed to make it work effectively," she said.

Taking a break from work, DeSouza is grateful for the recognition her hard work has received. This hard work started at an early age, with the young professional recalling her love of study and reading books.

This hard work at the St Joseph's Preparatory School was translated into high school at Bishop Gibson High School and then Campion College. From there, she went to the University of the West Indies, where she had a rich college experience which involved being part of the Jamaican Medical Students Association where she was vice-president.

"I am honoured to have been selected for the award. A bit surprised but I am really honoured and grateful that my hard work has paid off," she said.