Little did the health-care providers at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital know when they cared for Netherlands resident Shamsa Mangali, that they were putting a chain of events in motion that would lead to the raising of almost $100,000 for the institution.

Mangali was in Negril when she was involved in “an unfortunate” accident and ended up in the Savanna-la-Mar hospital. Mangali was so impressed with the quality of the service she received there that she became an ambassador of sort for the institution. She now actively encourages others “to help the hospital serve the community”.

One of those persons Mangali inspired is her friend Nilufer Lakhani, who has embarked on a drive to raise funds for the Hospital.

In a letter to Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester, regional director of the Western Regional Health Authority, Lakhani said that through the efforts of several people, including her father, she has so far raised more than $83,425 (US$1,775) from supporters in Holland and Japan.

The funds were raised after American schools in The Hague and Japan gave their permission for students to solicit funds on behalf of the hospital. And through her father, who is an employee of British Petroleum (BP), Lakhani has applied for matching funds from his company through a matching support programme operated by the company’s office in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

“I realise a hospital such as Savanna-la-mar has many projects that it would like to undertake but due to limited financial resources is unable to do so. Therefore I would like these funds to go to any worthy project that the Health Authority deems is priority,” Lakhani told the regional director in her letter.

“It goes to show that if you give good customer care, there are benefits to be derived,” said Dr Campbell-Forrester.

She added that there were levels of satisfaction for both the provider and the client “and sometimes the client will be more than ever grateful and will do much more for the institution”.