TOYOTA Jamaica will sponsor the 20th staging of the Kingston 2 Negril Charity Ride 2012 to the tune of $500,000.

The Jamaica by Bike charity ride will take place on Saturday, October 13, starting at Toyota Jamaica, 427 Spanish Town Road. Group B will be leaving at 4:30 am and Group A at 5:15 am. Based on projections the journey will take the riders northward to Ocho Rios, then westward to Negril.

The participants are divided into two groups in an effort to encourage group control to cater for different fitness levels and to ensure adequate co-ordination and management for the near 12-hour journey.

Sales and marketing manager Howard Foster made the announcement at a press launch at the company's offices in Kingston yesterday, and said that part of the sponsorship sum and proceeds from the event will go toward a "very worthy cause".

"Over 90 riders, including 10 from overseas, will participate in the 158-mile charity ride and proceeds from the funds raised will be used for the purchasing of critical UHWI/ICU medical equipment."

Dr Hyacinth Harding-Goldson, senior lecturer and head, Department of Anaesthesia and the Intensive Care Unit at the UHWI, was forthright and quick in her recognition of the benefits that will accrue from the sponsorship.

"The monetary assistance from Jamaica Bike will help us provide a much higher quality of care to our patients," she said.

She added: "The work of anaesthesists and intensivists is difficult under the best circumstances as lack of certain equipment makes the work more difficult and increases the risk of patients.

Dr Harding-Goldson added the ICU is the ward that provides specialised care, technical expertise and equipment for patients who cannot survive on the regular ward.

Contributions will go towards the purchase of two fibre-optic bronchoscope. Valued at approximately US$10,000 a fibre-optic bronchoscope is a flexible, thin, tube-like instrument which passes through the nose or mouth and down into the lungs.