Chinese government donates medical supplies and equipment worth 2,825,236.18 RMB to Kingston Public Hospital under the Bright Journey Eye Care Mission (linked to Record ID#70294 and #70295)

Project narrative

In July 2018, Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica, Tian Qi, and Jamaican Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton, agreed to the Bright Journey Eye Care Mission (also known as the Bright Journey Project). According to the Jamaican Ministry of Health & Wellness, the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) received 2,825,236.18 RMB worth of medical equipment and supplies as part of the project. On 5 April 2019, Jamaican Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton, and Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica, Tian Qi, signed a donation contract during the official launch ceremony that was held at the Kingston Public Hospital. The 11-member Bright Journey team included five ophthalmologists, three nurses, two engineers and one technician from Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, and the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. The team arrived in Jamaica on 27 March 2019. The project officially launched on 5 April 2019 and ended on 26 April 2019. Bright Journey Eye Care Mission included a donation of medical equipment, free cataract surgeries, and KPH staff training. Bright Journey visited Jamaica in 2015 and donated 400,000 USD worth of medical equipment and supplies (Record ID#39914), as well as performed more than 200 free cataract surgeries (Record ID#39915). The 2019 Bright Journey team set a goal of performing 500 cataract surgeries, more than double the number of surgeries performed in 2015. The team exceed their goal and had performed 506 cataract surgeries by 24 April 2019, two days before the end of their visit. The technician, Wang Wei, successfully repaired KPH's ophthalmic equipment worth 230,000 USD which was broken for two years. The Bright Journey team trained staff of the KPH in new technology to make the project sustainable. This project is linked to the 500+ cataract surgeries performed by the Bright Journey team (Record ID#70294) and the training of KPH medical staff (Record ID#70295) which were both parts of the Bright Journey Eye Care Mission.