Two Cayman doctors have flown a series of mercy missions to Jamaica in a private plane in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Dr. Yaron Rado, a qualified pilot, and Dr. Richard Preece have made three trips to the country, carrying medicine, other medical supplies and aid items.
Rado, chairman of the board and chief radiologist at Doctors Hospital, said, “I couldn’t just sit back and send a package.
“I felt that if I can take the controls and personally deliver the supplies, that’s one less barrier between help and those who need it.”
He added, “This isn’t a mission of optics. It’s a mission of care. It’s a gesture that says we are not bystanders, and we will do what we can in the skies and on the ground.”
Doctors Hospital and its Integra Healthcare arm utilised their in-house expertise to source supplies, donate them and coordinate the logistics, as well as deliver the items in person.
Preece, the hospital’s medical director, backed his colleague, saying their role wasn’t just to “drop off boxes” in the wake of the devastation caused by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa at the end of last month.
He added: “We want to connect with the people and institutions that are rebuilding. Sharing resources is important, but so is listening, understanding and supporting in the way that’s most helpful.”
Rado and Preece teamed up with the US-based Medical Evacuation Disaster Intervention Corps (MEDIC Corps) on the ground, which used its own rapid response air wing and relief teams to bring medical care, restore communications and help cut-off communities recover.
MEDIC Corps, which works in places such as the Black River area, where local hospitals had been destroyed or suffered severe damage, has been credited with saving lives in isolated areas.
“Partnering with MEDIC Corps has meant our aid doesn’t just sit in a warehouse. It goes where it’s most needed, to people who are bearing the brunt of this storm,” Rado said.
The two Cayman doctors added it had been “inspiring” to see other Cayman aid work in action.
Cayman Islands Helicopters gave crucial aerial support, flying in supplies to hard-to-reach areas and carrying out reconnaissance flights to assess damage.
But Rado and Preece said that recovery from the devastation would be a long-term process and that Jamaica would need sustained assistance.
“We’re committed for the long haul. We don’t just want to help medically in the immediate days,” Rado said.
“We want to strengthen local capacity so communities are more resilient for whatever comes next.”
Preece added that resilience meant not just restoration of what had been destroyed, but building back better where possible.
“We are grateful to our Jamaican colleagues and honoured to stand beside them as we rebuild,” he said.
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