THE Jamaica Medical Foundation (JMF) recently donated $500,000 to purchase tetanus medication for victims of Hurricane Melissa.

JMF, the health outreach arm of the insurance industry, said in a release that while people suffered damage to their homes, businesses, crops and livestock, there was also a human toll as several did not have access to medication, some of which were lost during the disaster.

“One of the needs arising from the disaster was medicine to mitigate the risk of persons getting tetanus or ‘lock jaw’ due to injuries received in the very dangerous environment after the passage of the hurricane when people were injured by zinc and nails lying loosely around,” the JMF said in a release.

According to the release, procurement and the logistics for the medication will be handled by the National Health Fund (NHF), which will use its distribution network, including mobile pharmacies to reach remote areas where people need the medication.

At the same time, Orville Johnson, chairman of the Jamaica Medical Foundation, commended NHF CEO Everton Anderson and his team for the tremendous job they have done in reaching out to the hurricane victims with critical medication.