THE Maternal and Neonatal High Dependency Unit at St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital on Tuesday was gifted two ventilators to further assist the medical staff in their care of neonates.

The ventilators were donated by Ian Clough, a respiratory therapist of Jamaican origin who now lives in the United States.

Clough prides himself on giving back to Jamaica.

“I made this donation because I realise that the hospital system in Jamaica needs life support machines and these will contribute to that,” said Clough who has been donating ventilators to various medical facilities in Jamaica for some 20 years.

“I go around and ask for a lot on behalf of Jamaica’s health-care system. I try to contribute to the health, sport, and education systems every year,” added Clough.

According to Clough, his aim is to continue making valuable donations to impact Jamaica in a positive way.

The new ventilators have the capability of operating for an extended period because of the battery life which is up to four hours.

In accepting the donation, head of the Paediatric Department at the hospital Dr Coralie Antoine pointed to the benefit they will bring to the neonates.

“We ventilate very premature and critically ill neonates, so these life-saving machines will go a long way in helping to augment the service that we offer. We are thankful [to] you for these gracious donations, as this will really impact the care we offer to our patients,” said Antoine

Cabinet member Senator Matthew Samuda, who is expected to contest the St Ann North Eastern seat on a Jamaica Labour Party ticket in the next general election, also welcomed the donation.

“When we have Jamaicans who have gone abroad and done very well it is great to see them giving back to their country,” said Samuda.

He noted that St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital “keeps the parish functional and healthy, but they don’t always have the tools they need. This is a good signal, and we will work with many others to ensure that opportunities the team needs are provided”.