By Shereita Grizzle – Staff Reporter—
Bounty Killer (center) in conversation with Wentworth Charles, board chairman at the South East Regional Health Authority, and Keisha Stewart, senior brand manager at Kendel, at the Kingston Public Hospital yesterday.–
After laboring at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday, dancehall artiste Bounty Killer has served notice that he will be reaching out to more corporate entities next year to assist in improving the state of one of the island’s largest health facilities.
Bounty Killer has ‘adopted’ the hospital, which shares compound with the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH), the place where he was born. As a 16-year-old boy, the deejay was shot and was taken to the KPH for treatment. He told THE WEEKEND STAR that without the care he received from health workers at the facility, there perhaps wouldn’t be a Bounty Killer today, and, for that, he is forever indebted.
“The KPH is the biggest public hospital in the Caribbean. It is the place all the poor people come to. Most of we weh grow up in the garrison, or the ghetto as they call it, this is the hospital that we access. It is the hospital I came to when I got shot as a boy at 16, and they saved my life so it special to me,” he said.
Like he did for Labour Day last year, Bounty Killer led a team of persons to the hospital and volunteered his services yesterday. Among those by his side was US rapper Safaree.
Safaree told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was happy to have been part of the initiative. The US rapper said he was inspired by the work Bounty has been doing over the years.
“Bounty is a testament to the fact that you can’t lose where you come from. It’s beautiful to see what he is doing here and I just had to reach out and help in any way I could. I donated an AC unit, but I also came down to help with the painting because that too was important,” he said.
Bounty Killer and his team assisted with painting the bridge that connects the KPH and the VJH.
HAPPY FOR THE HELP
Wentworth Charles, board chairman at the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), was glad for Bounty Killer’s generosity towards the hospital.
“His navel string, as we generally say, is at KPH, and he has never forgotten that. Year after year, he comes here without even the press knowing it, and he makes his commitment and present to us a number of important equipment that can assist us. I want to personally, on behalf of SERHA, thank him and his team for their commitment and their generosity towards the KPH and the VJH. Long may he live to continue his good work in the areas in which he has committed himself,” Charles said.
Last year, Bounty Killer handed over 60 beds to the Kingston Public and Victoria Jubilee hospitals. Yesterday, in addition to volunteering his time, the deejay donated more than 80 tins of paint, two air conditioning units, 20 cases of water, 10 cases of diapers as well as 300 lunches for volunteers who took part in the Labour Day initiative.
“We been getting corporate support but this year we got even more support because more people start reaching out. Yuh see Lullabye , Kendel even Safaree and the Stunt Gang came and contributed an AC unit. I wasn’t really reaching out before, I was just doing my thing and putting it out there. People see it and came on board,” Bounty Killer said.
“We see say people wah support the thing so next year we’re going to be reaching out because I think I can get more corporate people involved. It’s going to be a bigger initiative for sure. If we reach out to people months before Labour Day, they will show up and this can grow. We don’t tell people what to give so if all they have is stuff, we need that too. Is not just money we want, the hospital need a lot of things,” he added.
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