THE Whitehouse Health Centre in Westmoreland recently received a new, fully equipped, Ford ambulance as a personal gift from Prime Minister, P J Patterson.

Patterson officially handed over the vehicle to the facility during a ceremony held on its grounds.

During his presentation, Patterson said that the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), which was launched in St Catherine in March, was now being prepared for implementation in Westmoreland. He added that the programme, which he described as a social safety net that amalgamates all the government’s assistance programmes, would soon be expanded across the island.

“So this is going to be a scheme that deals with the food stamp, including maternity assistance. It is going to deal with families that have children in school but need some support to ensure that they can benefit from the educational programme, and it will also qualify you for access to medical attention, knowing that you are a person of limited means,” the prime minister said.

PATH is estimated to cost the government approximately $3.75 billion.

Enrollment and an interview process are now taking place in the Savanna-la-Mar section of the parish to identify persons who qualify for assistance through the programme.

At the handing over ceremony, Patterson highlighted the investments government had made in health facilities across the island, citing the Mandeville, St Ann’s Bay, Cornwall Regional and Kingston Public hospitals as examples.

He went on to stress that the ambulance he was contributing to the Westmoreland facility should serve the entire community, and urged all the residents to show interest in the care of the vehicle.

This is the second ambulance the prime minister has donated to a health facility in Westmoreland. Two years ago he extended a similar gesture to the Lambs River Health Centre.