Victoria Jubilee Maternity Hospital
The Victoria Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Kingston, right beside Kingston Public Hospital, is an impressive building. Hundreds of Kingston mums give birth there every year, but it is sadly under-funded by the State.
As a result, there is a tragically high mortality rate among premature newborn babies at the hospital, illustrated by a quote from the hospital's senior medical officer earlier this year.
Without adequate numbers of incubators, babies will
suffer from what we
call hypothermia, meaning that their temperature will drop," said
Morgan. "This, in turn, will cause all of their internal processes to
go, haywire, and they become very sick. So an incubator is an extremely
important piece of equipment in the whole management of a new born...
The hospital had six incubators but needed 12 to be completely effective. Our goal is to give them the six they needed by the end of 2018. After several years of fund-raising, we were able to deliver five incubators like the one above on 22nd February 2019. Although this was just short of our target, the hospital was delighted and local newspapers echoed their sentiments.
RJH representative Joan Lindsay handing over the new equipment with a handshake.
Rohan Brown (left) and Joan Lindsay show staff two of the incubators.
Delighted staff inspecting one of the life-saving incubators for baby care.
The Star newspaper, in a report on the handover, said, "CEO of VJH Colleen Wright said she is extremely appreciative of the United Kingdom company for its contribution, stating that they had always had the interest of the local health ministry at heart.
“This is not the first time that they have offered their assistance. It is good to see how they have joined forces with the entertainment industry as well to help. When I was at Princess Margaret Hospital, I remember them donating US$11,000 worth of items to the facility, and to know that they have extended their kindness even further is a plus and we are really appreciative of it,” she says.
Rejuvenate Jamaica Hospital will also be partnering with Prophecy’s Reggae Life Jamaica Music Festival later this year to help raise more funds for the Princess Margaret Hospital."
Headline in JIS News with story about the handover (click the picture to see the full article)
Similar coverage in The Gleaner (click the picture to go to the article)
