BRADES, Montserrat – The Glendon Hospital Trust Fund is to be launched late July announced Minister of Health Mr. Colin Riley at the Montserrat Diaspora Consultations on Wednesday.
Minister Riley said the fund will be used to support the visiting Medical Specialists Programme, which enables top class physicians to come to the island and offer their services at little or no cost to the public.
“Since we took office there have been four visits by medical professionals from the United States, led by Montserratian nationals living abroad. The trust fund will help to cover the expenses of the doctors while on island and support the work of the hospital to provide specialist care to patients,” explained the health minister.
Minister Riley said the plan is to encourage Montserratians at home and abroad to donate to the trust fund. “We are looking for 1000 nationals in the US, 500 in Canada, 1500 in the United Kingdom, 500 in other parts of the world and 500 at home to each give 50$ in their currency.”
The fund will also accept in kind donations of equipment on behalf of the Glendon Hospital.
A future vision for the fund and the visiting medical specialists programme is to see Montserrat as a destination for medical tourism. Minister Riley said telemedicine offers the opportunity for medical experts to be able to read CAT scan, MRIs and other images and provide diagnosis to the local doctors. “When people visit, they must feel comfortable that the island has a system of medical care that you can have confident in.”
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