WESTERN BUREAU — Newly-elected chairman of the Friends of Falmouth Hospital (FOFH), Wendell “Bull Bull’ Stewart, has pledged to use his office to acquire a stand-by generator for the institution.

The hospital has been without a generator for more than 10 years.

Stewart, a former People’s National Party (PNP) member of parliament for North Trelawny, and an independent candidate in the recent local government elections, was elected, Thursday, at the FOFH’s annual general meeting.

He told the Observer yesterday that discussions are already being held with several businessmen and organisations to acquire the unit, which is expected to cost in excess of $1.5 million.

Over the past few years, Stewart said, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to acquire the generator.

“I personally have made representation, while I was MP, to Health Minister John Junor; and private groups have in the past pledged to assist, but so far nothing has come through,” he said.

Stressing the need for the generator, he said earlier this month there was a power outage while a doctor was conducting a surgery on a 10 year-old child at the institution.

“The doctor had to complete the operation in the dark,” Stewart said. “Luckily, he was on the closing stages of the operation.”

According to the new head of the Friends of Falmouth Hospital, the civic group also plans to undertake a number of other projects within the next 12 months.

These include:

* assisting in the completion of the perimeter fencing at the hospital;

* refurbishing the guard house;

* paving the roads on the hospital grounds;

* reconstructing the tennis court;

* replacing the curtains and generally upgrading the wards; and

* launching an education programme aimed at sensitising the public about the services the hospital provides.

Stewart replaces founding chairman of the 25 year-old organisation, Dahlia Magnus, who did not seek re-election.