As part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) held a 5K Fun Run/Walk dubbed, ‘Welcome to Kingston 5k Fun Run/Walk’, which raised funds to purchase two (2) incubators for the Kingston Public Victoria Jubilee Neonatal Care Unit and the University Hospital of the West Indies Neonatal Unit. This was in response to the great and ongoing need of both hospitals for the necessary equipment to care for premature babies.
At the Hand Over Ceremony on February 23, 2021, at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH), Mrs. Marlene Street Forrest, JSE’s Managing Director, told the Hospital team, “I understand the needs of the Health Sector because in my previous life, I was a part of the Health Sector in the capacity of Parish Manager for Kingston. Therefore, it was easy for me as the Managing Director of the JSE to endorse the plan for the donation to the VJH as I have first-hand knowledge of the needs that exist in the Health Sector. The JSE is willing to work with the Hospital on projects such as this to ensure that our population is healthy as our health is our wealth and the best place to begin to ensure that we have a healthy population is with our children.”
Mrs. Street Forrest thanked the many participants from all walks of life who contributed and took part in the JSE’s 50th Anniversary 5K Fun Run/Walk, which resulted in the purchase of these valuable incubators. She also encouraged more Jamaicans to think social and highlighted the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) as a vehicle for improving the Social Sector.
Dr Yanique Brown, Consultant Pediatrician in Charge of Neonatal Care Unit at VJH, who accepted the incubator said, “An incubator is designed to provide a safe, controlled space for infants to live while their vital organs develop. Between 15-20 percent of deliveries are premature, which means the birth of between 45 to 60 preterm babies on a monthly basis. One third of these babies come to VJH (20-30). However, sadly, we have insufficient tools to take care of these babies and this makes the management operations extremely difficult. The donation of this incubator will greatly impact the management process.” Dr. Brown also encouraged other companies to follow JSE’s example.
The JSE especially recognized Dr. Tameka Stephenson Harris, Pediatric Resident at UHWI, who executed a tremendous job of coordinating the importation of the incubators through Jamaica Hospital Supplies and the delivery to the neonatal units of both VJH and UHWI.
-30-
