Equipment for health facilities accounts for 66% of CHASE Fund’s budget available for spending in the Health sector. The level of commitment was made public by W. Billy Heaven, the CHASE Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, during his presentation to the Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium on January 31, 2025 at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay.
“Our objective is to improve on the technology in an attempt to enhance healthcare delivery both in terms of diagnosis and treatment,” the CEO said. “We believe that the provision of cutting-edge technology will not only improve patient care but will also address accessibility and affordability.”
Mr. Heaven indicated that in the past year alone, the Fund had procured critical pieces of equipment for healthcare facilities including: vital signs monitors, ECG machines, defibrillators, MRI compatible patient monitors, microscopes, X-ray machines and an Endoscopic Surgical Tower which was procured for the Bustamante Hospital for Children.
Heaven said that the CHASE Fund would continue to make this a priority area. “Currently, we are partnering with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the North East Regional Health Authority to establish a 40-chair Nephrology Centre of Excellence,” he advised.
Twenty percent of the CHASE Fund’s resources go towards initiatives in the Health sector under which the CHASE Fund also prioritizes training. Heaven noted that the Fund had provided scholarships to medical professionals, specializing in areas such as: Spinal, Cardiothoracic and Neurosurgery as well as Biomedical Engineering, Radiation Oncology, Perfusion Science, Organ Transplantation and Medical Physics.
The CHASE Fund is also involved in promoting healthy lifestyles having provided funding for the establishment of recreational and wellness parks such as the Pembroke Hall Wellness Park in St. Andrew; equipped gyms and other wellness facilities; and supported health fairs across the island.
