TELECOMMUNICATIONS company Digicel has put up $100 million for the construction of a new Paediatric Cardiac Centre of Excellence at he Bustamante Hospital for Children.
"To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, we wanted to find an impactful, meaningful and lasting way to say 'thank you Jamaica' for 10 years of fantastic support and loyalty. Funding the construction of a new cardiac wing at the Bustamante Hospital for Children spoke to all of this," explained Mark Linehan, CEO of Digicel Jamaica.
"The future of Jamaica is in the hands of our children, so it makes a lot of sense that our 'thank you' gift to Jamaica focused on helping save the lives of children that are affected by heart disease — giving them a chance to grow up and live a full life. Our staff are really excited and honoured to be a part of this project and we look forward to getting it completed in the quickest time possible," he added.
The $100-million cheque was handed over to Health Minister Rudyard Spencer and Lyttleton Shirely, chairman of the board of the South East Regional Health Authority, during the company's 10th anniversary live television show on Tuesday night.
According to data from the children's hospital, of the 400-500 children who are born with congenital heart disease in Jamaica each year, at least half of them will need medical or surgical intervention or will face premature death.
At present, the waiting list at the hospital is at least 150, with approximately 100 new patients added to the list each year.
In thanking Digicel, Spencer said the company must be admired for the honourable initiative.
"The government recognises the importance of providing quality health care to our citizens and importantly our children. We cannot do it alone and will only succeed with the help of partners such as Digicel. This is truly inspiring and a great example of how we all can work together to build our country. This donation will go a far way in assisting many of our children and their families who have been waiting for cardiac care. I want to express my sincere thanks to Digicel for helping us to give our children a fighting chance," he said.
