Hospital donor urges first responder training for police

A former ward of the State who donated more than $5 million worth of medical equipment to the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) last Thursday is urging the Government to consider providing members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) with first responder training, arguing that the move could strengthen emergency response efforts and help save lives following motor vehicle crashes and other critical incidents.

Branatic Neufville, owner of the United Kingdom-based Rice and Things Group of Companies, made the recommendation during a handover ceremony at May Pen Hospital, where he presented 33 hospital beds, 20 bedside lockers and medical sundries for distribution between May Pen Hospital in Clarendon and Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth.

Drawing on years of observing emergency situations, Neufville said police officers are often the first to arrive at the scenes of motor vehicle collisions and other critical incidents, making specialised emergency medical training a prudent and potentially life-saving investment.

“I have noticed for many years, whenever we are on an accident scene, the first persons called there are the police,” he said.

“Jamaica is lacking a proper ambulance service, and that’s no two ways about it. That’s a fact.”

He urged the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of National Security to work collaboratively to explore training police personnel as paramedics or certified first responders.

“I would ask that the message be conveyed to central government that maybe it’s time we start looking into training our police personnel as first responders ... because we all know, and I’m sure the medical fraternity will tell you, that the way we handle a patient in the beginning can determine whether that person lives or dies.”

Neufville argued that strengthening Jamaica’s emergency response framework should form part of a broader national development agenda, anchored by closer collaboration among key government ministries.

“If our country is to step forward with the great ambition of Vision 2030 and beyond, then there are four ministries that are critical to that growth and development that need to work in tandem with each other – health, education, justice and security,” he said.

He further proposed that basic emergency care be incorporated into the education system, suggesting that secondary school students receive practical first-aid training, including how to operate blood pressure monitors, assist elderly relatives, and recognise when professional medical intervention is required.

The businessman also cautioned that Jamaica could be on the cusp of a growing mental health crisis if the psychological aftermath of Hurricane Melissa is not addressed with urgency.

While reconstruction efforts have largely centred on homes and infrastructure, Neufville argued that the emotional trauma experienced by affected families, particularly children, must receive equal attention.

“What I personally have seen is a problem brewing that, if we don’t arrest that monster at the door, Jamaica is heading for a serious mental health pandemic,” he said.

He called for the establishment of parish-based mental health crisis teams to bolster support for vulnerable individuals and strengthen community-level interventions.

Neufville, who was raised at the Summerfield Child Care Facility and St Augustine Place of Safety in Clarendon, said his own struggles with mental health have profoundly shaped his outlook.

“The boy that stands at this podium today had his own mental health issue,” he told the audience, recounting a period in his life when he contemplated suicide before deciding that God had a greater purpose for him.

The businessman said those experiences have reinforced his commitment to giving back, maintaining that a nation’s greatest asset is its people.

“If we don’t have good health, then we have nothing at all,” he said.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com