A collaboration between JCI Antigua and LICS Limited resulted in the donation of over 4,100 cubic feet of medical oxygen to the recently opened Infectious Disease Control Center (IDC).
Last weekend, President of JCI Antigua, Andrea L Smithen made the presentation to the Medical Director at the Mount St John’s Medical Center (MSJMC), Dr Albert Duncan.
“JCI Antigua’s mandate as a nonprofit is to assess community needs and to find sustainable and impactful solutions. With this pandemic, it is obvious that healthcare facilities are at the heart of the fight,” Smithen said.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, certain medical supplies and equipment needed to adequately fight the disease – such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), ventilators, and oxygen — have become scarce commodities.
“We have learned that oxygen and the use of ventilators are critical to saving lives with this disease and as such, we readily jumped at the opportunity to donate the medical oxygen gas to the newly opened Infectious Disease Control Centre,” Smithen said.
Meanwhile, in accepting the donation, Dr Duncan said: “On behalf of Mount St John’s, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, I want to express our appreciation and thanks for this offer and we will certainly use it in the right way.”
Currently, in order to stem the spread of Covid-19, Antigua and Barbuda has instituted stringent measures which have restricted gatherings and events. However, JCI Antigua is committed to continuing their mandate of giving back whenever and however they can.
“JCI Antigua’s programmes have not been adversely affected since Covid-19. Instead, the pandemic has caused us to regroup and revamp our projects. It has shown that we are resilient, innovative, and creative and members have tapped into skills they perhaps didn’t realise they had. Some of our programmes as originally planned may have been cancelled but we have readily adapted our initiatives and implemented new ones to remain relevant and, most importantly, impactful … I’m truly pleased and proud of our members for upholding our mission and vision of active citizenship notwithstanding the pandemic,” Smithen said.
“We are truly appreciative of LICS Limited who quickly answered the call to partner with us in our continued service to humanity; a true example of corporate social responsibility at work.” Earlier this year, the service-based organisation made similar donations to the Cancer Centre Eastern Caribbean, MSJMC’s Oncology Department, and medical supplies to the St John Hospice.