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VJH Gets Medical Equipment from Rotary Club

By: , August 7, 2013

The Key Point:

Included in the equipment donated are 42 Pulse Oximeters and 14 patient monitors
VJH Gets Medical Equipment from Rotary Club
Acting Senior Medical Officer at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Dr. Courtney Palmer (third right), accepts a patient monitor from President, Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, Vinton King (third left), at the handing over of medical equipment, valued at $3 million, to the hospital by the Club on August 7. Looking on (from left) are: Assistant Governor, Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, Donovan Brown; Chairman of the South-East Regional Health Authority (SEHRA), Mr. Lyttleton Shirley; Matron, Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Valrie Taylor Smalling; Acting Regional Director, SEHRA, Mark Martin; and Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Jubilee Hospital/ Kingston Public Hospital, Beulah Stevens.

The Facts

  • The donated equipment will be of significant value to the persons who seek care at the medical facility
  • The VJH is the largest referral maternity hospital in the English speaking Caribbean

The Full Story

Medical equipment valued at $3 million was handed over to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) by the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, at a ceremony held on August 7, on the Hospital compound in Kingston.

Included in the equipment donated are 42 Pulse Oximeters and 14 patient monitors.

In his remarks, Acting Senior Medical Officer at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Dr. Courtney Palmer, expressed appreciation to the Rotary Club for its donation.

“The equipment that has been so graciously donated to us is vital and essential for proper monitoring and therefore management of our critically ill patients.  The VJH is the premier referral hospital in Jamaica for women’s health and therefore, you will see that the equipment will serve the entire Jamaican population,” Dr. Palmer said.

For his part, President of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, Vinton King, noted that the donated equipment will be of significant value to the persons who seek care at the medical facility.

“The whole matter of critical care in the hospital (is important) ….. and the equipment will give the medical professional a chance to see what is happening…and as such, extend the life of people in Jamaica,” Mr. King said.

Chairman of the South-East Regional Health Authority (SEHRA), Mr. Lyttleton Shirley, also expressed his appreciation to the Club for its donation.

“We want to thank you, we want to recognise your efforts and we want to let you know that your work has not gone down in vain. These equipment take care of critical patients and we want to assure you that we will take care of them and will use them in the best interest of our patients,” Mr. Shirley said.

The VJH was established in 1887 when prominent Jamaicans built a maternal hospital in honour of Queen Victoria, who celebrated her Jubilee anniversary that year. A public subscription fund was put in place for people to contribute towards the erecting of the building.

In 1891 the building was opened for occupancy by His Excellency Sir Henry Blake, Governor of Jamaica. The bed capacity was 12 and it was staffed by a matron and 14 pupil/student midwives. The services rendered always kept pace with the expansion and modernisation of the hospital.

The VJH is the largest referral maternity hospital in the English speaking Caribbean. It sees more than 70,000 women and approximately 9,000 babies are delivered each year. The institution has a bed capacity of 248. Forty per cent of the hospital’s out-patients are from the inner city communities, which surround the hospital.

Last Updated: August 13, 2013

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