The Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) has been selected as the recipient of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) President's Award for its outstanding work in the field of trauma.

Each year, the MAJ presents the President's Award to a doctor or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the profession and/or the society at large.

The award will be presented to the KPH and its doctors who have committed their life's work to treating and, very often, saving the lives of trauma victims.

role in training

The institution is also being recognised for its role in the training of medical doctors in the field of trauma.

Lyttleton Shirley, chairman of the board, South East Regional Health Authority, said the region, which has responsibility for all health facilities in St Catherine, St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew, is heartened and honoured by the prestigious award.

"It is truly an honour for KPH to be recognised in this manner. It is not often that the hard work put in by the staff on a daily basis gets the recognition it deserves," Shirley said.

silent giants

"The doctors at KPH are some of our silent giants who are willing to give their services, in many cases without fanfare, and very little mention of their efforts and sacrifices," he added.

The hospital sees more than 60,000 trauma incidents on a yearly basis, inclusive of intentional injuries, such as gunshot and stab wounds, as well as unintentional injuries, like motor-vehicle accidents and falls.

Dr Patrick Bhoorasingh, senior medical officer at the KPH, said the hospital's staff was equally gratified and overjoyed that the hospital had received such a prominent award for its work.

Bhoorasingh also said the hospital had done a significant amount of research in the field of trauma and had published research papers in well-known journals and for international organisations, such as the Pan American Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

The award will be presented to the hospital during the MAJ's annual awards banquet today at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com