Mandeville hospital receives well-needed supplies
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Although grateful that the Mandeville Regional Hospital received US$40,000 worth of supplies for orthopaedics and paediatrics, Chief Executive Officer Alwyn Miller says the facility is overwhelmed by the high number of people admitted for injuries from motor vehicle crashes.
“We are severely challenged with the number of patients that are presenting to us, particularly from motorbike accidents, not only from Manchester, but also from Clarendon and St Elizabeth,” Miller said yesterday at the handing-over ceremony for the supplies donated by the Carnegie Foundation.
“It is really overwhelming for our facilities… Particularly in this time of the pandemic, one would expect that there [would] be less accidents, but it has not declined at all,” he added.
“At the same time, we are grateful for these items that will help in terms of [patients] recovery… We want to thank the Carnegie Foundation for remembering us in this manner. They have been here multiple times with many gifts that have made a difference to the care of our patients,” Miller said.
Senior medical officer at the hospital, Dr Everton McIntosh, shared similar sentiments.
“I just want to express, on behalf of the hospital, our sincere gratitude for the gifts… We appreciate the assistance that we can get from our partners here and abroad,” he said.
Beverly Henry, a director at the foundation, said the items will also assist nursing students from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) who are usually accommodated at the facility as part of their training.
The supplies include orthopaedic tools like ankle, arm, and knee braces; scrubs and swaddlers; examination gowns, and other supplies used in the operating theatre.
Henry encouraged more people to donate to the hospital, especially during the novel coronavirus pandemic. “In this time of COVID, and the resources have to be directed elsewhere, if anyone or anybody can give something to the hospital to help to deflect the challenges that they are having, I think it is a [major] thing,” she said.
Launched in 2007, the Carnegie Foundation was named in honour of Ethlyn Sybil Carnegie for dedication to humanity in the field of nursing and the pursuit of excellence in health-care services. Family members said she died from lung cancer in 1992.