Audley Shaw, Minister of Transport &; Mining [third right] and Juliette Cuthbert-Flynn. Minister of State at the Ministry of Health [centre] share a photo with Director of Pharmacy Services, NHF, Ainsley Jones [second left] and [L-R] President of the National Council of Taxi Associations, Allan Blair; Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacqueline Wright-James; CEO, Spanish Town Hospital Jacqueline Ellis, and Willard Hylton, Managing Director – Transport Authority, after the unveiling of the unit.
The National Health Fund (NHF), in partnership with the Transport Authority, has donated three new hemodialysis machines to the hospital in the Spanish town of Saint Catherine.
The $12 million project shared equally between the two agencies culminated in an official handover ceremony held on the hospital grounds on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
The facility’s kidney dialysis unit sees about 4,500 patients with kidney failure over a twelve-month period. The additional kidney equipment will allow more people to receive treatment and positively improve the quality of life for many.
Director of Pharmacy Services, NHF, Ainsley Jones, speaking at the event on behalf of Chief Executive, Everton Anderson, said the Fund is committed to providing support to the healthcare sector through various projects .
“In fiscal year 2021/2022, $612.05 million was approved for 10 institutional benefits projects, with $66.50 million being allocated to the South East Regional Health Authority. Additionally, the NHF has budgeted $100 million for this fiscal year 2022/2023 to support infrastructure development in the South East region,” the Director of Pharmacy Services said.
“The NHF team is pleased that the agency has played an important role in a project that has improved another healthcare facility, as well as patient care. We are committed to strengthening the Jamaican healthcare system – whether this either through the collaboration or as an individual entity,” Jones added.
This is the second collaboration between the NHF and the Transport Authority. The Fund has already partnered with the organization to provide drug tests, including PSA/DRE exams, to taxi drivers in different parishes.
Transport Authority chief executive Willard Hylton stressed the importance of partnership between the organisations.
“The signal we are sending to the country is that when we partner as agencies of government, we can do more. You can find another agency that wants to partner with you and that’s how we’re going to make things happen in Jamaica,” Hylton said.
The NHF continues to work closely with several partners, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare and regional authorities, to improve health services in Jamaica.
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