Sagicor donates mobile medical clinic to Dominica
FOLLOWING THE devastating impact of Hurricane Maria last year, Sagicor Life, the leading insurance company in the Caribbean, donated a fully customised mobile medical unit to the government of Dominica.
The unit, purchased by Sagicor in collaboration with Doctors In Our Circle, Ray Asta, the Ministry of Health, and Friends of Sagicor, will support and respond to the immediate needs of the people of Dominica post-Hurricane Maria.
Dr Laura Espirit, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health, said, “Services that will be provided at the mobile medical clinic include comprehensive medical screening, cancer screening, specialist clinics, HIV and immunisation testing, as well as general response to medical crises during disasters, disease outbreaks, and other activities of national importance.”
The extensive outfitting of the mobile medical unit ensured that it contained a wide range of facilities including, but not limited to:
■ Two examination rooms with beds
■ Fuel and water tanks
■ A generator
■ A refrigeration unit and medicine storage
■ A wheelchair lift
Sagicor supported the acquisition of the bus from a financial perspective, donating US$100,000 to its purchase.
Chairman for Sagicor Financial Corporation Stephen McNamara said, “The Sagicor Group also established a hurricane-relief fund of over EC$500,000, from which support was provided with the regional airline LIAT to airlift persons to other Caribbean islands. Additionally, across the Sagicor network, we collected and shipped necessities ranging from food and water supplies to generators and made cash donations. The same was done by providing assistance through Antigua and St Kitts & Nevis to our other Caribbean brothers and sisters in Barbuda, Anguilla, and St Martin, where we operate as well.”
Dominica’s Minister of Health Kenneth Darroux said that the medical clinic will support the medical needs of the island, particularly as the country is conducting a review of the scope of works of the National Hospital prior to beginning construction later this year.