The Cayman Islands yesterday donated medical supplies to The Bahamas to assist with the recovery efforts.
Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said having endured hurricanes as well, Cayman understands and knows the need for medication following a disaster like Dorian.
“His country has experienced a number of hurricanes and he understands and knows what the emergency medical needs from experience itself,” Dr. Minnis said.
“As a result, they were able to donate that type of medication knowing that we would need it immediately, not only in a few hospitals, but we would need them in our communities to ensure that patients will receive the proper medication and there is no possibility or shortage of medical supplies.”
Handing over the gift was Cayman’s Premier Cayman Alden Mclaughlin who stressed the importance of coming personally to make the generous donation.
“We know firsthand what you are going through, although Dorian is like nothing anyone has ever seen before quite frankly,” McLaughlin said.
“So it was important for us not to be able to just deploy a helicopter and crew to help or indeed just to provide some support in terms of medical supplies.
“However, I wanted to come personally to speak to the prime minister whom I know and to convey on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands and the government of the Cayman Islands, our solidarity, our sympathy and our undertaking to help in any way going forward that we possibly can, using our experiences to assist and guide some of the recovery efforts.”
The Cayman Islands join a number of other countries and private sector organizations that have donated to recovery efforts.
In fact, India donated $1 million to recovery efforts just a few hours before Cayman did.
While the prime minister still could not give a figure as to how much money has been received thus far, he said NEMA has additional financial manpower to assist in keeping an account of the money coming in.
“We have added an accountant there and we have added additional financial staff so as to monitor and due the necessary invoicing and auditing of what are received,” Dr. Minnis said.
“Then in addition to that, we have a private accounting firm or team that will do the necessary audit to ensure that everything including all invoices are there, accountability and transparency is there and they would report regularly to the nation as to the monies that were received and how the monies were spent so that we would have overt accountability.
“Because the one thing I don’t want, I don’t want anybody to call me no thief.”
