Ministry of Health & Environment

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David Singh CEO pictured with left to right: Elesha Singh (daughter), Margaret Barr (PR Director) and wife Laura Singh at Gran Bahia Principe before interview. PHOTO - by Sharon Parris-Chambers

David Singh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Destiny Group of Companies, through his charitable organization, Destiny Foundation in partnership with Glo bal Medic mounted his press launch at the Gran Bahia Principe hotel to donate and distribute $10 million dollars of essential medicines to the Jamaican people.

Destiny Group of Companies is an international financial management and strategies company. Its operations include the Commercial Investment Bank of St. Lucia; Destiny Foundation - its gifting initiative arm, with business operating in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The company is affiliated with Stephen Lewis Foundation, Global Medic, Doctors Without Borders, Order of Malta, the International Red Cross and numerous other charitable groups. Destiny Foundation has as its aim to assist in helping the less fortunate around the world.

Destiny Foundation is a private organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty and relieving the worldwide healthcare crisis. It is in this regard that David Singh pledged to support Jamaica in fighting poverty, diabetes and HIV Aids. He donated yesterday $10 million of essential medicines to include anti-retrovirals to the island's hospital and clinics, serving the under privileged.

Mr. Singh yesterday, said "to those of whom much is given, much is expected," he pledged $10 million dollars in the form of essential medicines, water purification, water tablets and hurricane relief material and assistance. Of the $10 million pledged, $4 million has been distributed and the additional $6 million will be distributed over the next two years.

Past donations to the island include $2 million in essential medicines and anti-retrovirals to local Jamaican hospitals, including the Bustamante Children's Hospital.

In attendance at the launch were representatives of the Ministry of Health: Michelle Roofe, Director North East Regional Health Authority; Celia Barnes, Resource Mobilization Coordinator, representing the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Grace Allen-Young. Beverly Needham, CEO, Bustamante Hospital for Children, was on hand to acknowledge the award to her institution.

Paul Gibson, representing his own Pharmaceutical Company, thanked David Singh for the foundation's donation to Jamaica and said that "it came at an appropriate time as government is looking at improving two key areas: education and healthcare." The National Health Fund was recognized for their role in procurement of pharmaceuticals for Jamaica.

He said that the target groups were: the elderly with therapeutic treatment for cancer, HIV, cardiovascular, diabetes, cancers, etc.

In his closing presentation, Singh said that diabetes in the Caribbean has become a major problem and could become as big a threat as HIV AIDS and he intends to do something about stemming its spread through an intervention of research and donation of related medicines.

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