On 19 March, Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica Yasuo Takase, announced that the Society for Promotion of Japanese Diplomacy (SPJD) in Japan had agreed to donate 6 ambulances to St John Jamaica.
In addition they will provide funding in the amount of $JMD 8.4 million dollars (more than 73 thousand $USD) to cover the re-conditioning and shipping costs of the ambulances to be brought from Japan to Kingston, Jamaica.
3 ambulances will be placed at St John National Headquarters in Kingston, while the other 3 will be dispatched to the North Central Headquarters in Prospect, St. Mary. The grant is in response to a need of St John Jamaica to improve their capacity to respond to health care emergencies for the people in Jamaica island-wide.
Ambassador Takase said that the donation is in keeping with commitments made to consider assistance to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean region to overcome their vulnerability.
