HEALTH
DEFIBRILLATORS DONATED TO UHWI
UWIDEF in partnership with FLOW
Gifted Life-Saving Equipment
Anyone who has experienced being ill or witnessed a loved one go through an illness can attest to the truthfulness of this statement. UWIDEF understands that the lack of health can change lives dramatically and causes us to recall our fragile mortality. It is therefore important for us to support healthcare whenever possible.
For several years, the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) has been the annual recipient of several vital pieces of equipment, made possible through the UWIDEF - FLOW partnership. One such meaningful donation to the Cardiology Unit was a gift of two defibrillators. Board Director of UWIDEF, Mr. Karl Wright, noted with great pleasure that the UWIDEF has been able to sustain an annual gift to the hospital due to FLOW's support.
Mr. Wright further explained that the equipment was funded by returns yielded from an invested endowment from FLOW made to UWIDEF in 1995 to support the hospital with replacing obsolete equipment and improving patient care delivery. Dr. Carl Bruce, Medical Chief of Staff, expressed his appreciation to UWIDEF and FLOW for the gift.
MEMBER OF THE UWI ALUMNI FRATERNITY, DR. STEPHAN MAXWELL’S SUPPORT FOR PAEDIATRICS
The UWI Development & Endowment Fund (UWIDEF), in partnership with UWI alumnus, Dr. Stephan Maxwell, donated a well-needed incubator to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). Dr. Roxanne Melbourne Chambers, Head of Child and Adolescent Health noted that their staff and the youngest patients at the hospital were particularly grateful for this gift. She emphasized that this type of equipment was desperately needed for some babies. When lives are at stake, definite actions need to follow suit.
VITAL EQUIPMENT DONATED FROM UWIDEF AND FLOW
Capitalizing on the possibilities of Public Private Partnerships (PPP), UWIDEF invested a donation from FLOW (formerly the Telecommunications of Jamaica (TOJ) of US$500,000. Since 2011, approximately $2 million from earned interest has been donated to the UWI hospital every year. A donation of vital equipment from the funds was made available to the Department of Ophthalmology (UHWI) in 2019. The state-of-the-art A-scan Ultrasound Biometry Machine, which was made possible from the FLOW endowment fund, makes use of ultrasound technology to perform retinal scans and other eye examinations. The device can be useful in diagnosing common sight disorders and in cataract surgery. Dr. Lizette Mowatt, Head of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital, noted that the equipment will go a long way towards helping patients whose eyes must be screened, as well as aiding with assessment and treatment.
