A new charitable trust is helping to raise funds to purchase $8.7 million worth of medical equipment and improvements at public hospitals and clinics in Cayman.
Charity founder and Scotiabank director Bruce John launched the Caring for Life Foundation on 10 November at a ceremony at the Governor’s House.
Citing a five-page list detailing the needed equipment and improvements, Mr. John said the foundation would seek equipment “for the medical, maternity and surgical wards, the operating theatre, accident and emergency, dialysis, pathology laboratory, the hospital’s plant and facilities, and the critical care unit, just to name a few”.
The foundation, which is affiliated with the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, aims to raise money for the Cayman Islands Hospital, Faith Hospital, Little Cayman clinic and District Health Centres.
The trust raised $35,000 on the evening it launched with pledges from the Foster family, Walker’s Attorneys-at-Law, the Pink Ladies and Scotiabank.
The foundation will operate independently of the HSA and government, as a charitable trust with a board of advisers assessing needs and expenditures, Mr. John said.
“We have a dedicated, caring and talented group of professionals and staff in our public hospitals, and the CEO and the Board of the Health Services Authority have made significant progress in improving the quality of care over the last few years, but they are in need of our help,” he said.
For most of its existence, the Health Services Authority, which runs the district clinics and health centres and the public hospitals on Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman, has had financial losses. The last financial year was the first time it turned a profit.
The Caring For Life Foundation will also work closely with the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, the Heart Fund and the Kidney Foundation to raise money for equipment, enabling the foundation to focus attention on education, research and assisting patients who cannot afford treatments, Mr. John said.
“Remember, many of the best hospitals in North America and Europe became world-class medical centres through donations made by the public to foundations established to invest in their health care,” he said.
Health Services Authority CEO Lizzette Yearwood said: “This is a tremendous boost to our efforts, the work of the HSA and, in fact, the entire healthcare industry in the Cayman Islands. The foundation will provide enormous and much-needed support for the health and well-being of the population and will help us to keep pace with developments locally and internationally.”
Mr. Scotland also thanked Mr. John, and added: “This is truly a gift to all the people of the Cayman Islands, and we are deeply grateful for the efforts of Mr. John, his board of advisers and the dedicated group of concerned individuals who worked so hard in the last three years to make this possible,” Mr. Scotland said.
Scotiabank is organising an annual golf tournament on 26 November at the North Sound Golf Club to support the foundation. All money raised will go to the foundation.
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