University Hospital’s ICUs Dedicated to Prof Homi

KINGSTON — Two Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) were renamed the John Homi Intensive Care Unit A and B, in honour of the late Professor Emeritus of Anaesthesia at the University of the West Indies (UWI), on Wednesday August 24.

Professor Homi, who gave 17 years of distinguished service to the Department of Anaesthetics at the UWI and the UHWI, died at the hospital in January. The renovated ICUs, A and B, were renamed at a ceremony in the seminar room of ICU B. They were refurbished with funds from the ‘Raise the Roof’ initiative, as well as assistance from Guardian Life.

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, noted that Professor Homi made an indispensible contribution to the health sector, as a clinician and in academia.

“It is therefore a fitting tribute to a conscientious public servant, that the ICUs are being named in his honour,” he said. The Minister also praised the fundraising initiative and Guardian Life’s commitment to helping to improve health care delivery.

“Through your efforts, million of dollars have been spent to renovate the Intensive Care Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI)…I thank you for your service to Jamaica and your contribution to the development of health care, especially in this critical area,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Guardian Life, Eric Hosin, said the company recognised the importance of promoting health, was conscious about the need for proper health care and welcomed the opportunity to provide assistance. 

“Over the past five months, we have spent $9 million to renovate the physical plant, furnish the waiting room for relatives, landscape the surrounding areas and erect naming and directional signage for the ICUs,” he said.

CEO of the UHWI, Dr. Trevor McCartney, also lauded Guardian Life, and other private sector companies which have been making an impact on the development of the hospital, and encouraged others to follow suit.

Born in England, Professor Homi first visited Jamaica in 1970 as a volunteer anaesthetist on the hospital ship “Project Hope”. He was recruited by the UWI, to head the Department of Anaesthetics in 1972. He went on to spearhead construction of the first state-of-the-art eight-bed ICU in Jamaica and in the English-speaking Caribbean.

To advance post-graduate training in anaesthesia and provide the necessary expertise to run the new ICU, he developed and implemented the post-graduate Doctor of Medicine specialisation in Anaethesia and Intensive Care, and developed courses and certification programmes for the training of critical care nurses and anaesthetic technicians.

He was involved in several ground breaking and cutting edge areas of research, ranging from hyperbaric anaesthesia, oxygen concentrators, narcotic analgesics and inhalational anaesthetic agents to anaesthesia and critical care in patients with sickle cell disease.

In recognition of his contribution to the development of anaesthesia services and training in the Caribbean, the Professor was appointed an honorary member of the Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander.

By ALECIA SMITH, JIS Reporter