Jamaica: May Pen Hospital gets two additional Defibrillators

#Jamaica, Jue 24, 2021 – The May Pen Hospital in Clarendon has received two additional defibrillators at a cost of $500,000, through a kind gesture by Chairman of the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), Hon. William “Billy” Shagoury.

Mr. Shagoury, who is retiring as Chairman of the AAJ, asked that funds set aside for his send-off celebration be used to equip the hospital with vital machines.     

Speaking at the handover of one of the machines at the Ministry of Transport and Mining in St. Andrew today (June 22), Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Robert Montague, said the other machine is in transit and will be delivered to the institution shortly.

The Minister, in lauding the Chairman, who is also Custos of Clarendon, said he has served the Authority for more than 15 years, first as a Board member, then Deputy Chairman.    

“We are thankful to Billy for his service to the Airports Authority and to Jamaica and the people of Clarendon. Thank you for service, and for continuing to give service. You have served this country from your heart genuinely, and you gave it your all,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shagoury told JIS News that it was very easy for him to forgo his retirement celebration.

“When the hospital needs something, my personal thing is not necessary. The people need it, and the hospital need it, so it was very easy to make the decision,” he said.

Mr. Shagoury added that he recently donated a defibrillator to the Lionel Town Hospital in the parish.

“Everything is good when you can help the people,” he said.

For his part, Senior Medical Officer at the hospital, Dr. Bradley Edwards, said the move to support the institution shows “who the man is”.

“He sees the need to support us in the health services more important than celebrating, and this equipment is lifesaving. It is used when people have cardiac arrest to bring them back to life… it is so special, and [we] are thankful to our Custos,” Dr. Edwards told JIS News.  

For Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Eugena Clarke-James, it is an honour to have someone in their lives “like our Custos”.

“He has been very instrumental to all our health institutions in Clarendon. He has a heart of gold, a heart of kindness, and he serves his community well,” she told JIS News.   

Meanwhile, President of the AAJ, Audley Deidrick, said the gesture represents the “figure of the man”, as when they decided to reward him personally for his service, “he insisted that the gift be a gift to the hospital to continue his lifelong practice of benevolence”.

By Garfield L. Angus, JIS News

Release: JIS