Shaggy suffers little Jamaican children
P GAVIN JAMES PHOTO: An elated Shaggy "Suffering the Little Jamaican Children.
It was a joyful moment, on August 26, for Shaggy, his friends and the few invited to witness. A time to “Suffer the Children of Jamaica”, Shaggy held the reigns in handing over well-needed and long anticipated equipment to the Bustamante Hospital for Children on premises. The equipment were purchased by the Shaggy and Friends Make A Difference Foundation.
Last year Shaggy led friends wellwishers into the art of giving when he hosted Shaggy and Friends concert, which offered much entertainment to those who sacrificially supported the venture by at least purchasing tickets. The target by the concert’s hosting organization, Shaggy and Friends Make A Difference Foundation, was 2 million US dollars. Instead just over 33,000 US dollars (20 million Jamaican dollars was made.) Still the persistent and pure bred Jamaican Platinum artist understands Jamaican slang of wisdom, “Tun Yuh Han mek fashion.”
Then the songbird took Jana Bent’s Shaggy Parrot into schools, enthusiastically teaching children about the arts – visual and performing.
Since the concert, the artist supported by girlfriend Rebecca and other friends has been stretching every cent of the mite earned. The equipment acquired and handed over included syringe pumps, value metric pumps, stretchers, signal pulse oximeters, vital signs monitors, examination lights and a surgical microscope.
The report was vague on exactly how many pieces were acquired, old, second-hand or new, and the total is still in question. However, the effort was more than appreciated as a significant start to easing challenges often experienced in saving lives. According to Dr Lambert Inniss, consultant and head of the Department of Anaes-thesiology, the change is already a “dramatically improvement”. From reports at least one critical equipment, Blood warmer, was donated from Med-Wise in Florida.
Special mention was also made of Little Lexi who opted to get donations to hand over, rather than birthday gifts earlier in the year in support of the Shaggy effort. She donated $50,000.
Dr Lambert Inniss, in his thankful note shared some alarming facts on the intiatives the medical staff were accustomed to applying to substitute for lacking equipment. It was almost miraculous just visualising the “by chance” and “guessing methods” especially when it came to ascdertaining the correct temperatures, oxygen levels, vital signs and dosages in some cases. Then his speech shifted focus and demanded more, a challenge the Shaggy team are accustomed to.
The donations is just under 10 per cent of what is needed. For example, where 258 pulse oximeters are needed, one per bed, only an additional 5 were received to the existing 3 owned by the hospital. Oximeters are needed for measuring oxygen in the blood especially in asthmatic patients.
Again only 4 syringe infusion pumps were acquired to assist in administering small doses of medication to the smallest of children. The hospital only had 19 of the 258 needed. “Each bed should have one” Innis said in listing the 22 newly acquired volumetric pumps. Only ten examination lights, needed in treatment and emergencies forc example to assist with fixing veins, were received.
While Shaggy would love to take the concert on an international tour, a lovefest isbeing planned by Shacti, a supporter of the cause, on October 3 at the Terra Nova.
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