Rewarding resilience

A consultant pediatrician at Falmouth Public General Hospital expressed deep emotion as she welcomed the Sandals Foundation’s annual Island Challenge, an initiative designed to raise £100,000 for vital pediatric and neonatal equipment. Hurricane Melissa devastated the hospital's pediatric unit, destroying nearly all its essential supplies.

Dr. Kerry-Ann McKenzie described the aftermath, stating, "We lost everything; every incubator, every monitor, every bed except one." She highlighted the resilience of her staff, who continued to provide care despite the lack of resources. The hospital, located in Trelawny parish, is still recovering from last October's devastation, making the foundation's support crucial.

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We were pretty much very badly affected by Hurricane Melissa, and our paediatric unit was destroyed. We lost everything; every incubator, every monitor, every bed except one, our departments, where we fight every single day for the lives of our smallest, and our future leaders of our country were devastated.

The Island Challenge, set to begin on October 2, will span four days. It will feature 30 athletes from the United Kingdom and 15 Jamaican participants who will trek, hike, and paddle across Trelawny, St Ann, St Mary, and St Andrew. Their journey aims to generate funds for much-needed equipment at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.

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Jamaicans are resilient. We are a resilient people, and we’re a resilient health facility. With the help of Sandals Foundation, we are going to show forth brighter than what we were previously.

Dr. McKenzie emphasized that while resilience is admirable, it cannot replace critical medical instruments. "Resilience can’t buy an incubator. It can’t replace a cardiac monitor. It cannot give us back the beds that we lost," she stated during the launch event in Kingston. The hospital urgently needs beds, incubators, resuscitators, pulse oximeters, vital signs monitors, phototherapy lights, and warming/cooling blankets.

Despite significant struggles, the medical team has managed to keep the department operational. They eagerly anticipate the additional help that will enable them to provide comprehensive care for the hospital's youngest patients and future leaders.

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But resilience can’t buy an incubator. It can’t replace a cardiac monitor. It cannot give us back the beds that we lost. That’s why we’ve joined the Sandals Foundation now in this Island Challenge in getting us the essential equipment that we need for our paediatric and neonatal units at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.