SCOTIABANK last week brought to $15.5 million the amount it has contributed this year to the bolstering of the local health-care system in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Following a $15-million cash donation in March towards the purchase of ventilators for the island’s public hospitals, the bank deepened its commitment with a further donation of $500,000 to facilitate the purchase of additional equipment for the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

The donation of a Flow Nasal Oxygen machine was requested by the hospital, particularly because it can be used in the early management of patients with respiratory symptoms and can possibly reduce the number of patients who may end up needing a ventilator.

Scotiabank is among several leading members of the PSOJ that have provided monetary support to the island’s health-care facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking during a brief hand-over ceremony at the hospital last Thursday, David Noel, president and CEO of Scotiabank, said the bank was again happy to be able to contribute. “We all live here, we are a part of this community, and we want to ensure that we play our role in equipping our nation’s health-care workers, who already work miracles, to deliver the highest standard of care,” Noel said.

At the same time, Audrey Tugwell Henry, Scotia’s executive vice-president for retail banking, who symbolically handed over the additional donation, said:

“Insufficient medical equipment continues to be a challenge and Scotiabank continues to play our part in helping to address some of the gaps. Through this donation, we are addressing a critical need to increase the availability of life-saving equipment in our nation’s hospitals even beyond the threat of COVID-19.”

While this latest donation was prompted by the immediate threat of the novel coronavirus global pandemic, she said the company has always had an interest in helping the country to address the shortage of critical medical equipment.

Dr Kelvin Metalor, ICU director at the UHWI, expressed gratitude on behalf of the hospital. “The provision of adequate and high-quality health care requires a lot of resources. In a system that is already stressed, COVID-19 served to provide additional pressure. Scotiabank being the good corporate citizen that it is has once again stepped in to provide assistance to patients at the UHWI who continue to benefit from the support given by Scotiabank over a number of years,” Dr Metalor said. He also pointed to the usefulness of the equipment donated in increasing the capacity of the ICU to deliver care to both critically ill adults and paediatric patients long after the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Representing Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton, Courtney Cephas, executive director of the Health for Life and Wellness Foundation in the ministry, thanked Scotiabank for its consistent support of health care in Jamaica.

“The fight against COVID-19 is not for any one person or organisation. We are all in this together and we continue to laud the significant contribution of private entities like Scotiabank, which tirelessly support the efforts of the Government in improving the local health-care system. We express our thanks on behalf of the people of Jamaica and the families who will ultimately benefit,” Cephas said.

Scotiabank said globally it has donated over US$2.5 million towards various programmes and initiatives aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.