Donmayne Gyles took over the leadership of Andrews Memorial Hospital (AMH) three Saturdays ago and told guests that he accepted the appointment “with humility and the joy of service”, as he seeks to impact as many as he can “through mission and ministry”.

“Eighteen years ago, when I began denominational work, I never envisioned standing in this capacity, and offering a response of this nature among family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers,” Gyles told guests at the installation ceremony held at Andrews Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church on the hospital’s Hope Road property in St Andrew.

“God is truly amazing. Every milestone, every appointment, every move was an indication of God’s leading in my life, and so today, I am first giving thanks to God for His leading and direction in my life, and for this opportunity that He has afforded me to lead this noble institution,” added the new president and chief executive officer.

“I joined the AMH family just over three years ago with a zeal and desire to make a difference. My passion has always been mission and contributing to the greater good of society through the network developed by my church,” he said.

“Being in health care has widened my perspective of the industry and what it really means to care for others and truly be of service. It has given me greater awareness of the value of our health-care practitioners and staff who commit their lives to caring for others. I’ve become more understanding of what it takes to keep the operation wheels turning. It is no easy feat. Therefore, I take this opportunity to recognise all the hard-working staff — both the support staff and the clinical staff here at AMH. I salute your hard work and dedication to building and growing with the AMH brand; for your embrace of the core values: Quality; integrity; compassion; collaboration; commitment and accountability,” Gyles said.

“The system is not perfect, but together we will grow and build on the legacy of our past leaders and workers alike. I use this medium to also recognise all our consultant physicians and stakeholders, who have made AMH their home. Thank you for your partnership and unwavering support, as we remain focused on quality care,” he added.

Gyles succeeds Dr Patric Rutherford who led the hospital for the past two years and served AMH for a cumulative 22 years.

“I am a happy man today, because God has blessed me with fulfilling the last piece of my assignment to this hospital,” Rutherford said before passing the baton to Gyles.

“It’s a joy to serve, and all those of you who are involved in working know what it means to serve, and, when you leave, you don’t want to leave and see things crumble behind you… you want to see things build and grow beyond where you have been.”

Emphasising that no organisation rises above its leadership, Dr Rutherford said the key to future growth is finding the calibre of leadership that is going to take it the next step. As such, one of the joys of working with Gyles, he said, is that “I can almost start a sentence and have him finish it”.

“We have worked together for two years. I have had the privilege of sharing some things with you because as we grapple with the problems and challenges that we face, I realise that your thinking is embedded and engrossed in the process and in the understanding of what it takes to move the next step. I have the utmost confidence that the Almighty God has blessed you, prepared you for this and will take you through the rest of the journey. It is a joy then, that I pass the baton to you, my friend.”

Gyles, whose new post took effect April 1, 2023, previously served as the hospital’s vice-president finance and chief financial officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Studies and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from Northern Caribbean University. He is currently pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Leadership at University of Liverpool Online.

The hospital was officially opened in 1944 after the purchase of land at 27 Hope Road in 1943. Today, the 79 year-old, 60-bed hospital offers a wide range of services to meet the growing demand for health care in Jamaica. Among those services are a radiology unit; medical laboratory; US Medical (the only entity in Jamaica providing medical services to the US Embassy); pharmacy; vegetarian cafeteria; dental unit; corporate health facility; an inpatient facility; an outpatient facility (with integrated emergency room); and four operating theatres.