MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — The Universal Service Fund (USF) has donated information and communication technology equipment valued approximately $2.8 million to the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

The devices, which were presented yesterday, include six tablet computers, four multifunctional printers, and a WiFi router.

These will serve to modernise the WRHA’s patient management system, thereby improving client service delivery.

Speaking during the handover ceremony at the WRHA’s office in Montego Bay, St James, USF Chief Executive Officer Daniel Dawes said the donation reflected the entity’s continued commitment to facilitating the Ministry of Health and Wellness and its agencies with ICT support.

He noted that USF provisions, to date, have also included “millions of dollars” spent to provide broadband Internet service.

Additionally, the entity has donated $40 million to bolster the University Hospital of the West Indies’ infectious disease surveillance programme, and $17 million to expand the Ministry’s network bandwidth.

“Whenever we are called upon, we, as a fund, are prepared to give the Health [Ministry] all the support that is possible,” Dawes stated.

Clinical coordinator at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James, Dr Delroy Fray accepted the devices on behalf of the WRHA.

“We are very appreciative of these items, which will be much welcomed by our staff and will be used wisely. I thank you on behalf of the region, and we look forward to continuing in partnership [with the USF],” he added.

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Leeroy Williams, in lauding the USF, noted that the devices will be “immensely beneficial to persons who will use and have access to them”.

The USF, an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, is mandated to provide Internet connectivity and increase the use of ICT devices across the country.

The entity achieves its mandate through the execution of strategic projects that benefit Jamaicans across various sectors.