The Digicel Foundation Donates Medical Supplies to Support Jamaican Vaccination Centres
The Digicel Foundation has donated approximately J$2 million in medical supplies to vaccination centres across Jamaica to support the national vaccination plan. Digicel made the donations as a part of a mobilisation effort facilitated by the Private Sector Vaccine Initiative (PSVI) and supported by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness. The items donated include a defibrillator shelf and board, an oxygen tank, IV poles, 12 emergency trolleys, and 50 blood pressure machines. The items were delivered to Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopeher Tufton.
Dr. Tufton showed his appreciation for the donations by stating, “These carts and blood pressure machines will be used very frequently as we roll out the vaccination programme across the country. We vaccinate people in batches, and we need to move very efficiently, so these carts will allow us to be on wheels, to carry a lot, and to move quickly from patient to patient. Thanks again to Digicel Foundation, another very important partnership between the private sector and public health.”
PSVI’s support has helped progress the nation’s vaccination plan. Peter Melhado, chair of the PSVI’s logistics and operations committee, attributes much of the initiative’s success to the support of organizations like the Digicel Foundation, which has invested over USD $1.6 million toward COVID relief efforts since March 2020.
Melhado noted, “We are grateful to Digicel Foundation for this very important donation. The support we have been able to secure from private sector companies since we started the initiative in March has consistently bolstered the capacity of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to serve the public at the various vaccination sites across the island. This donation is another indication of the private sector’s commitment to the effort — through to a safe and full reopening of the Jamaican economy.”