Bounty Killer, DJ Khaled donate $8m to western hospitals

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dancehall star Rodney ‘Bounty Killer’ Price, through his Bounty Killer Foundation and International DJ and record producer DJ Khaled’s We the Best Foundation, on Monday donated $8 million to four hospitals in western Jamaica to assist with rebuilding the health infrastructure, which was heavily impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Bounty Killer, who travelled to the west by helicopter, which gave him the chance to witness the devastation from the air, said he felt obligated to throw his support behind the health sector, as a healthy population is key to rebounding and rebuilding after Melissa.

“As you know, the hospitals are very, very important to our upliftment because of the variances of life,” said Bounty Killer, who has had a long history of donating to medical and other health facilities over several years.

When quizzed as to why most of his donations over the years have gone to medical facilities, the entertainer was unequivocal in his response, stating that he sees the health sector as possibly the most significant sector in national life.

“Health is wealth, who doesn’t know that?” asked Bounty Killer. “Health preserve life… so everybody doing the care packages and the supplies and all of that is good, but the hospitals need to be up and running, if anything break out right now with the people who are the volunteers, who is going to help them? As you can see, they only had sheds and tents... that is not [a] hospital.”

While not downplaying the importance of the various donations that are being given to the hospitals, Bounty Killer intimated that the gift of cash is important because it allows the funds to go directly towards rebuilding the facilities.

“We gave out money, $2 million each to four hospitals…Black River, Savanna-la-Mar, Falmouth and here (Cornwall Regional Hospital), $8 million in total,” said Bounty Killer. “That is our first instalment. We will be back soon with the care packages, the material and the food and that, because people have to eat and the place have to rebuild….it is a whole lot of work, a long-term business.”

The donation of cash by Bounty Killer adds to the long list of Jamaican artistes who have been making substantial donations to the people, especially in western Jamaica, who have had their lives upended by Melissa, through the destruction of homes, farms, utilities, infrastructure and businesses.

Some of the entertainers who have made contributions include Shaggy, Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, Spice, and Beenie Man. Many of them have been on the road, making the donations themselves, and giving encouragement and advice to the affected people. “Jamaica doesn’t know the value of us, but we know the value of Jamaica; that is why we do what we do,” said Bounty Killer. “If we should wait on the Jamaican people to show you the value of us, we would never know but big up Jamaica, remember a me name, Mr Jamaica.”

“As you can see, there is a lot that we need to do to get back to at least where we were, and so this will help, it will go a long way,” said Cassandra Laing, the operations manager of Cornwall Regional Hospital. “We have several things that we have to do, roof repairs, the patients were displaced by the damage of the wards, so this will go a long way in doing some of these repairs, which might not [be] getting immediate attention.”

“We are appreciative of this gift and we are happy that he (Bounty Killer) considered us... We are very grateful,” she added.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com