THE University of the West Indies last Friday presented the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation with a Thermocycler machine which was funded by part proceeds from the 2014 staging of the CB Group UWI 5K Run/Walk and Smart Eggs Kids K.

The official presentation of the $1,400,000-valued machine was made by UWI’s Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Archibald McDonald, to founder and chairperson of the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation, Dr Maolynne Miller.

Dr Miller, who is also a practising paediatric nephrologist, was grateful for the Thermoclycler machine which will help to improve the quality of care the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation is able to offer to children who are suffering from kidney disease.

“This machine will now ensure that children suffering from chronic kidney disease will be able to receive peritoneal dialysis. There are children with chronic renal failure who are cared for by their own paediatric kidney specialists. I happen to be one of two who work at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) due to the fact that the UHWI is the only hospital where dialysis is done for children under 12. Currently there are six children who are in need of dialysis and with the presence of the Thermocycler machine we will continue to ensure that no child who is in need of dialysis treatment is unable to attain it,” said Dr Miller.

Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UWI, Professor Archibald McDonald was on hand to present the award and lamented the importance of contributions such as this for Jamaica’s health system.

“Health has come into sharp focus and with funding being reduced for health in recent time, a contribution such as this is critical to the quality of care for our children at this time. The Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation has been excellent in providing care to children who suffer from the ailments associated with kidney disease, and this I am proud to present on behalf of the University, thanks to the CB Group UWI 5K, this Thermocycler machine which will aid the treatment of the children under their care,” said Professor McDonald.

The CB Group UWI 5K was started in 2012 when the UWI sought new ways of generating funds for student development in the form of scholarship awards. In 2014, the organisers made the decision that to keep with the mandate of nation building to which the event adheres, that they would extend their gaze and find ways to assist the wider community.

Elizabeth Buchanan-Hind, executive director for the Institutional Advancement Division in the office of the vice-chancellor and head of the organising committee, explained that the decision was not hard because the cause was of great value.

“We started the CB Group UWI 5K as means to offer aid to students who were in need of financial support. We have always had the mandate of national development firmly in mind, and we thought 2014 was the perfect year to expand our reach into the wider community. Health is a crucial part of ensuring nation-building and none more so than child health preservation, hence we decided to assist the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation through the donation of the Thermocycler machine,” said Buchanan-Hind.

The CB Group UWI 5K and Smart Eggs Kids K, which both begin and end at the UWI Mona Bowl, is slated for Sunday, November 15, with the 5K run scheduled for 7:00 am followed by the Kids K at 8:00 am.

The funds raised will support the academic and sporting development of students through the University’s Scholarship Fund.