Cheers to Ja’s Covid-19 heroes
Published:Tuesday | March 11, 2025 | 12:10 AMCorey Robinson/Senior Staff Reporter
Exactly five years after the detection of the first COVID-19 case on the island, the Government of Jamaica yesterday unveiled a monument in honour of healthcare workers who would have lost their lives to the dreaded disease.
The monument, which reportedly cost approximately $4 million to build, was erected at the National Chest Hospital in St Andrew. Inscribed on it are the names of 22 of about 50 healthcare workers who died as they selflessly tackled the respiratory disease.
These named individuals are those whose relatives have given permission for them to be honoured in this way, health representatives told The Gleaner yesterday. Other names are expected to be added to the monument in coming months, as the ministry also celebrates four years since the first administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“This monument, the structure made of concrete and steel stands as an enduring symbol of their dedication and also of their bravery and service to the people of Jamaica,” said Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton during his address at the unveiling ceremony.
“Each name represents a life of service: doctor, nurses, attendants, mental health officers, midwives, cashiers, all healthcare workers who put services above self,” continued Tufton, noting the terrifying uncertainties surrounding the pandemic that officially began five years ago.
FOR THOSE WHO STOOD IN THE GAP
“Yet, these men and women, our healthcare people, all put their lives on the line, pushing through the fear and uncertainty to preserve health and save the lives of others.”
He said the monument was particularly in honour of individuals who stood by bedsides and comforted patients when their relatives could not. It is for those individuals who prepared meals, delivered babies, sanitised facilities, and who generally looked after the well-being of all, he said.
“There are no words to fill the void,” he said, as he comforted relatives of the deceased health workers who attended yesterday’s ceremony. “Their legacy endures in the lives of those who were saved by their efforts, and in the memories and the moments shared on and off the job.”
Yesterday, relatives of Harriette Ledgister, a kitchen attendant who died from COVID-19 after working at the Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth for more than three decades, said they were extremely honoured.
“We are happy and proud that her service to the Ministry of Health was acknowledged, and that her passing has been recognised. Her memory will live on,” said Melisha Brown, who attended the ceremony. “She was a very energetic, vibrant person who was always the life of the party.”
STILL GRIEVING
Ledgister’s daughter, Karrie-Ann Brown, who was overseas and unable to attend the ceremony, remembered her mother as a hard worker for whom, even with the years post COVID-19, she is still grieving.
“The family, particularly my sister and I, are still grieving but we are taking it day by day. Her memories are everywhere, and they are through her grandchildren mostly. She was 58 years old when she died,” said Brown.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his address during the unveiling, described as gut-wrenching the news when Jamaica had recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020.
“But the administration steeled itself. We were prepared and we were able to mobilise and address the challenge in a very creditable way. So, I believe that today’s function is a fitting recognition for the people who served and who sacrificed,” said Holness.
“This monument is not merely a structure of stone and metal. It represents the courage, dedication and sacrifice of the healthcare workers who stood on the front line during one of the most challenging periods in our nation’s recent history. They put their duties above their fears, their patients above their own well-being and, in doing so, they saved countless lives.”