NHF presents 173 blood pressure machines to health authority
THE National Health Fund (NHF) yesterday presented the South East Regional Health Authority with 173 blood pressure machines, valued at $1.5 million.
The units, which were handed over to the St Catherine Health Department yesterday, were facilitated through the NHF’s ‘institutional benefits programme’.
“Using this vehicle we were able to offer these 173 machines upon request from the South East Health Authority,” said Baldwin Tucker, institutional benefits manager at the NHF.
“With the addition of these instruments, the level of service we offer will be greatly enhanced. It is safe to say, therefore, that the accuracy of measurements we do will provide our patients with hope in the health sector,” said Beulah Stevens, parish manager at the St Catherine Health Department.
The machines will be distributed among the parishes that make up the South East Health Authority – Kingston and St Andrew, St Thomas and St Catherine.
According to Stevens, St Catherine will receive most of the machines because there is a greater need for them in the parish. “The Spanish Town Health Department, and in particular the hospital, is in need of these, and so they will receive the lion’s share,” she said.
Tucker, at the same time, said the NHF was pleased to provide the machines to the department. “Our mission is to reduce the burden on the health care system, so we are pleased to be a part of this project. This represents for us a small milestone”.
The National Health Fund’s total grant for this project is 4.5 million dollars, from which this first request was made.
Tucker stated that he is anticipating further request, and that as soon as they come the NHF will provide the funding for procurement of any other instrument it can, to afford Jamaicans the quality health care they deserve.
