ST JAMES, Jamaica — The Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI),  donated  personal protective equipment and other items to the Westmoreland Infirmary on Wednesday (October 28).

Among the items donated were 45 hand sanitisers, three refrigerator thermometers, two handheld infrared thermometers and one digital blood pressure machine.

Assistant Secretary of JAPHI, Steve Morris, said that the donation to the infirmary forms part of the organisation’s charitable activities for Public Health Inspectors Week, which is being observed from October 25 to 31.

Morris, who is also the Chief Public Health Inspector for Westmoreland, noted that JAPHI contacted the infirmary to get an idea of what was needed before acquiring the items.

 “We are giving them what they need to help [prevent] COVID-19 [at the facility]. They also expressed that they were in need of refrigerator thermometers, because the last inspection the Public Health Department did, the absence of the thermometers caused a markdown in their inspection, so we acquired those thermometers for them,” he said.

For her part, Assistant Matron of the Westmoreland Infirmary, Lorna Gifford, expressed gratitude to JAPHI for the donation.

As part of Public Health Inspectors Week charitable activities, in addition to its donation to the Westmoreland Infirmary, JAPHI will be donating care packages to selected organisations through JAPHI’s three other regional chapters.

In the south-east region, representatives will donate to Missionaries of the Poor in Kingston, while in the north-east, donations will be given to the Mustard Seed Communities’ Jacob’s Ladder in St Ann, while in the southern region, donations will be given to the Manchester Infirmary.