The Montserrat Rotary Club with assistance from Rotary International on Friday last, October 19, made a donation of two open incubators or radiant warmers to the Obstetrics Unit at the Glendon hospital.
At the brief handover ceremony, Rotary Club president Dr. Braimah Kassim (Glendon Hospital surgeon) says the donation is part of Rotary’s mandate to give back to the community.
In the presence of hospital nursing officials, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Owen, and several Rotarians, Kassim said at the handover: “We are gathered here, because the Rotary Club of Montserrat is here to do what it does best, give back to the community in which we live and work,” adding that “our motto as it is well known to all is, ‘service above self’.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Owen and Rotary Club president Dr. Braimah Kassim (Glendon Hospital surgeon)
The president said they were presenting the two open incubators or infant radiant warmers to the Glendon hospital to fulfill its mandate in caring for the newborn.
Principal Nursing Officer Desreen Silcott chaired the brief ceremony, while Dr. Michael Owner in accepting on behalf of the hospital, thanked the Rotary Club and said: “Small babies tend to lose heat when their born and… we have radiant warmers to prevent loss of heat in small children.”
The CMO said that this a big part of the care of newborn babies, so having a couple of pieces of kit like this is actually invaluable and will be an enormous asset to the equipment which, “we currently have and it will be extremely valuable.”
He said they really are genuinely very grateful to Rotary Montserrat and to Rotary International”. “Thank you all in Rotary on behalf of the Ministry of Health for what will be a very useful and valuable addition to our equipment,” he concluded.
Rotary and Polio eradication
On Wednesday last Montserrat Rotary club joined the rest of the world and observe World Polio Day. Polio is a highly infectious disease which causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal, to date there is no cure for the disease. Rotary international notes that world Polio day follows a succession of significant development that have made 2012 one of the most important years in the history of the polio eradication initiative.
The Rotary Club of Montserrat has made contributions to the Polio eradication initiative with the last contribution being US$500.00 in 2011. However, this year the club of Montserrat will host ‘give a dollar’ to the Polio project throughout December 2012. Club members will ask the public to contribute a minimum of $1.00 each time to aid in the eradication of Polio in world.
Polio remains Endemic in three countries Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.