St Ann Health Departments gets new fogging equipment
The St Ann Health Department should be better able to eliminate mosquito breeding sites in the parish having received a donation of three fogging machines from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), earlier this month.
“The handing over of these equipment come at the right time when it will enhance the work that the vector control team is doing,” said parish manager at St Ann Health Department Bentley Steer. He noted that it is now approaching the time when there is an increase in mosquito breeding sites.
Several stakeholders who attended the handing over ceremony lauded TEF for the donation.
“This is a historic occasion,” said Vana Taylor, chairman of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Ocho Rios/Runaway Bay Chapter.
Dr Roosevelt Crooks, chairman of the Resort Board of St Ann and St Mary was also ecstatic about the donation to the parish as he pointed out that ensuring the safety of the citizens was paramount and doing so without causing harm was even more important.
The new machines, he said, will help personnel at the health department to carry out their duties more effectively.
Project consultant at TEF Donald Jackson encouraged the staff of the St Ann Health Department to take care of the equipment donated to the facility.
He said while he did not expect the fogging machines to last for 20 years, he was not expecting them to be down in a few months.
Jackson reminded personnel that the money spent to acquire the equipment were from public funds hence they will be held accountable for them.
He pointed out that TEF wanted to ensure that it supports the tourism sector and that one of the ways to do so was to help to alleviate ailments among residents.
He also lauded the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) for possibly outdoing other regions in vector control.
“We saw some encouraging figures,” he said.
A number of other equipment was also recently donated to St Ann Health Department and NERHA by TEF recently. These include laptops, a projector and projector screen, a public announcement system, printing equipment, fans among others. The region is also expected to receive some additional equipment from TEF.
