MEDICAL personnel and staff at St Jago Park Health Centre will be better equipped to provide critical maternity and general healthcare services, thanks to a final tranche of donated clinical equipment from VM Foundation.

The donation, valued at $2.3 million, includes foetal dopplers, pulse oximeters, blood pressure machines, and a diagnostic set.

This marks the conclusion of a six-year partnership between VM Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Wellness under the Adopt-a-Clinic programme.

Through this initiative, the foundation has contributed a total of $7.5 million since 2018 to support the facility with essential medical equipment and supplies.

Over the years, 104 pieces of assorted clinical equipment were donated. Among them are a dental digital X-ray machine, LED examination light, digital scale, paediatric scale, sponge holding forceps, and uterine sound equipment.

In 2024 alone the health centre, which serves as the main referral facility for all clinics in St Catherine, recorded almost 71,000 patient visits — an average of 5,900 per month — highlighting the critical need for continuous investment in primary healthcare services.

Speaking at a handover ceremony at the health centre on Wednesday, VM Foundation CEO Samantha Charles underscored the significance of the partnership and the foundation’s broader efforts to support both the clinic and the wider community.

“For six years the VM Foundation has been working closely with the staff and community members who rely on the St Jago Park Health Centre. Beyond providing much-needed medical equipment we sought to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those who walk through these doors,” Charles said.

“That’s why we also invested in financial literacy training and parenting support, directly engaging with residents and healthcare workers to empower them with knowledge and resources. Our work has always been about improving lives in a practical and transformative way,” she added.

The foundation has hosted two Financial Wellness and Parenting Expos at the facility, with a special focus on equipping parents, particularly fathers, with the tools to foster stronger relationships with their children.

Additionally, staff at the health centre have benefited from direct engagement sessions, ensuring that those who serve the community are also supported.

In his remarks, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton commended VM Foundation for its unwavering support of the Adopt-a-Clinic programme and its contribution to healthcare access and community empowerment.

“VM has been a true champion in supporting healthcare, and this initiative exemplifies the core principles of VM as a mutual organisation — centred on community and upliftment,” he said.

“The adoption of the St Jago Park Health Centre has served an incredible purpose, as the $7.5-million contributed over the years has gone a far way in filling critical gaps in our healthcare system. We look forward to further collaboration with VM to continue strengthening primary healthcare in Jamaica,” said Tufton.

The Adopt-A-Clinic Programme is a strategic initiative designed to mobilise philanthropic support from the private sector and the diaspora to improve Jamaica’s primary healthcare system.

The programme, launched in November 2017, focuses on 100 of the most underserved community health centres out of the 325 facilities nationwide. More than half of the targeted health centres have been adopted so far.