TEF Donates to Two Healthcare Facilities

(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Friday, March 26, 2021) – Two local public healthcare institutions were the beneficiaries of much-needed equipment recently, thanks to the generosity of the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) which donated a total of EC$38,000 to their cause. 

On Thursday, March 25, the TEF donated EC$28,000 towards the purchase of a 100-pound industrial washing machine for the Respiratory Hospital and EC$10,000 to the Lions Club of Saint Lucia for the purchase of three pieces of important equipment. 

The presentations were made at the Finance Administrative Centre at Pointe Seraphine. 

Donette Ismael, Programme Manager, Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), said frontline workers have been tireless and dedicated in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and deserve all the support they can get.

“It is for this reason that the TEF is making a donation to the Respiratory Hospital to help the employees carry out their duties in a more effective manner and for the staff at the Pediatric Ward of the Owen King EU Hospital to provide effective care to our children.”

Nancy Francis, Executive Director of Victoria Hospital and OKEU Hospital who was on hand to receive the donation, said an upgrade at the laundry room at the Respiratory Hospital has been long overdue. She added that the current stock of industrial washers is aged, breaks down frequently and requires regular spare parts replacement and maintenance. 

“As a result, our linen services have been compromised, resulting in damages, downtime and an inadequate supply of linen,” said Francis.

Francis said that during a visit to the facility by SLHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy to make a donation of linen, she informed Troubetzkoy that among the facility’s pressing needs was a 100-pound industrial washer. 

A few days later, Troubetzkoy contacted Francis and requested more information. Noting that a new washer had been a priority for which sponsorship was hard to come by for quite some time, Francis said the TEF’s intervention with the generous donation speaks volumes.

“We value and treasure this gift,” she said. “I want to assure you that we will take very good care of this expensive machine because we understand the significance of having a deficient laundry service at the hospital in order to be able to provide freshly laundered linen on a daily basis for patient care.”   

The Lions Club of St. Lucia was also provided with a grant of $10,000 EC dollars towards procurement of an EKG machine and two SdO2 monitors for the Pediatric ward of the OKEU Hospital. Consultant Pediatrician at the facility, Dr. Martin Plummer who received the donation on behalf of the ward, noted that “many times, we had to go to the adult ward and take machines that were designed for adult patients, but when we get these machines, we can specifically use them for our children.”

Since adopting the Pediatric Department at Owen King EU Hospital, the Lions Club of Saint Lucia has been mounting efforts to improve the quality of care at the facility. The latest partnership with the TEF is testimony to that commitment, said Lions Club representative, Mervin Philbert.

“On an annual basis, the Lions Club of Saint Lucia (Zone 3B) adopts a project that we believe would help Saint Lucia as a whole,” he said. “This year, we identified the Pediatric Ward at OKEU Hospital and thought it fitting to identify what the needs were and help to meet them.” 

“We recognize that sometimes the children are forgotten,” said Philbert. “So we want to thank the SLHTA for this gesture and will move with haste to procure the equipment that will assist our patients at the Pediatric Ward in being a little more comfortable.”  

Meanwhile, TEF Chairman, Winston Anderson, said challenging times require being our brother’s and sister’s keepers. “As stakeholders, we at the SLHTA understand only too well the need for a united and mutually beneficial partnership between the tourism sector and all our communities.”

Anderson added: “It is only right that the sector, through the TEF, supports these critical efforts to improve the health and well-being of our citizens and, very importantly, our children. We all should ensure that all of our partners – taxi drivers, farmers, entertainers, fishermen, vendors, tour operators and other stakeholders – are able to get their fair share of the pie. Today is another example of what can be achieved when we get that partnership right. So the TEF gives its solemn commitment to work hard to ensure that we deepen the linkages among all tourism stakeholders.”