A shortage of foetal monitoring equipment at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) has been significantly eased with the donation of 14 these critical maternal health-care machines which will enhance the facility’s capacity for early detection of pregnancy-related complications.

The donation, valued at $32 million, was made on Monday through a partnership involving the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, Food for the Poor Jamaica, and Women without Blemish. It included 13 cardiotocography (CTG) machines, and one state-of-the-art ultrasound machine,

Senior medical officer at VJH Dr Garth McDonald told the Jamaica Observer that the equipment addresses a persistent need at the maternity hospital for foetal monitoring equipment which frequently outweighs available resources.