Neonatal care at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) has advanced following a donation made through Sandals’ Island Challenge.
After raising over EC$471,000 (£130,000) — surpassing the initiative’s initial goal of about EC$362,000 (£100,000) — the Sandals Foundation sourced five new pieces of equipment for the hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit.
Paediatric Consultant and Head of the Paediatric Department at MHMC Dr Lashorn Christian said the additions are vital to strengthening the hospital’s ability to provide advanced care for newborns.
“It was a dream come true because I know that with the healthcare system, we need a lot of support. I know the challenges we face every day dealing with the most vulnerable, especially newborns,” she said during the equipment handover ceremony on Friday.
Among the most significant additions is a mechanical ventilator, which provides life support for babies.
“For the number of babies who need life-support intervention, especially during the critical period between November and December, sometimes we have more babies than available machines,” Dr Christian explained. “This addition will help sustain at least one more baby who needs that vital intervention.”
The donation also included an incubator for premature babies, enabling them to maintain their body temperature while receiving oxygen and other medical treatments without being removed from the unit.
A transcutaneous bilirubin (TCB) machine will allow doctors to screen newborns for jaundice earlier, reducing the risk of brain damage through faster intervention.
Meanwhile, a bilirubin blanket will allow mothers to breastfeed and hold their babies while they receive phototherapy treatment, something not previously possible when babies had to remain in a cot during treatment.
The donation also included a neonatal warmer, designed to provide easier access to critically ill babies, including those receiving life-support care.
Sandals Halcyon Public Relations Manager Masana Morison-Nicholas said the donation was made possible through collaboration and opportunity.
Early discussions with Dr Christian, who had a personal goal of advancing neonatal care in Saint Lucia, helped lay the groundwork for potential collaboration through the Sandals Foundation.
Around the same time, Sandals’ head office expressed interest in bringing the Island Challenge to Saint Lucia after previously hosting the event in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The four-day fundraising challenge took place in October last year, having brought together athletes from the United Kingdom and Saint Lucia who participated in a series of endurance activities, including hiking Gros Piton, undertaking a cross-country trek, running from Sandals Halcyon to Sandals Grande, then kayaking back, and completing a final run from Sandals Halcyon to Sandals La Toc.
The Sandals Foundation worked with A.A. Laquis in Trinidad to source the equipment using the funds raised through event sponsors.
Other Island Challenge partners included Unique Vacations UK Ltd., Island Routes, Sandals Resorts Saint Lucia and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.