The Digicel Foundation has donated US$1 million to Jamaica’s National Health Fund (NHF) to assist in its acquisition of vaccines.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton met with Denis O’Brien, patron of the Digicel Foundation, on April 27 to accept the donation.

Jamaica received its first shipment of vaccines in March and, with a successful blitz in April, more than 135,000 persons have now received their first dose of the vaccine. With corporate support playing an essential role in the Government of Jamaica’s continued fight against COVID-19, Digicel’s contribution will help take those efforts to the next level.

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness is grateful for the continued support and partnership with Digicel, which has been a longstanding corporate citizen,” said Tufton in accepting the donation.

“This pandemic has further strengthened and shown the commitment of our private partners and we have always emphasised the importance of partnership in public health as a measure of success – and to which a part of our success can be attributed to.”

Commenting on the donation, O’Brien, said: “Vaccines are the most fundamental component in the fight against COVID-19 and in helping people to get back to living their lives free of restrictions. We are proud to do our part to assist the Government’s efforts in encouraging everyone to get vaccinated and look forward to the day when everyone can come back together with family and friends.”

Jean Lowrie-Chin, chairperson of the Digicel Foundation in Jamaica, said the foundation is playing its part in ensuring that every Jamaican gets access to the vaccines.

 “We always want to go above and beyond to help create a world where no one gets left behind and that starts by ensuring that every Jamaican has access to the resources needed to survive this pandemic. With the wellbeing of our people being the top priority, we are committed to working with the Government of Jamaica to beat this virus,” she said.

The Digicel Foundation has already donated over US$665,000 towards the national pandemic management efforts through its Operation SAFE Mode initiative to sanitise, advocate, feed and enable distance learning – and, in November 2020, it also donated a plasma-apheresis machine to assist with the treatment of COVID-19 patients at the University Hospital of the West Indies.