The vision of a junior medical student, Josh Carlson, of the St George’s University (SGU), has been turned into a reality, through the assistance of many student organisations and medical institutions.

Josh Carlson, now a graduate of the SGU, who resides in the United States of America (USA), was the brainchild behind this million-dollar donation of medical supplies that was handed over to the Ministry of Health on Monday 23 April 2018.

During a short hand-over ceremony at the National Stadium, Mr Brendon La Grenade, Vice Provost for Institutional Advancement at St George’s University, described Carlson’s initial idea as a “lofty vision” for a junior student. However, through persistence and support from the University, student groups, the General Hospital, the Ministry of Health and many other professionals, Carlson and his organization, Global Surgery, were able to assess the needs of the Hospital, and the Ministry and raise funds and secure donations.

According to La Grenade, they were able to raise US$20,000 as a student body, which, he believes was a catalyst for drawing in EC$1.23 million worth of medical supplies. This, he said, shows that the students will give back and assist in raising the standard of healthcare in Grenada.

Provost of the University, Dr Glen Jacobs, referred to the young man as a “dynamic” individual. He applauded his efforts, and said, “what makes it so special, [is], people in life take a lot, that happens, but when you give back, it’s so much nicer…”

Addressing the gathering, was man of the moment, Josh Carlson, who appeared very humble as he expressed appreciation to the donors, and the Ministry of Health. “This whole thing is a testament for us thanking Grenada. According to him, the vision to do this was spawned before he even got to Grenada as he has an ultimate desire to help people. “We just had the vision, but it was a collaboration that’s making this a reality…and this was a massive team support.” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health, was Permanent Secretary, Mrs Pauline Peters. – “This donation is one that we truly appreciate… we all know the challenges that we face in the health sector as it relates to human resources, equipment, financial and otherwise.”

This is the second time such a large donation has been made by the University – the first was in 1978 through the provision of vaccines. The items donated will be distributed accordingly to the medical institutions and a survey will be done to assess how they were utilized.