News January 21 2026

Sagicor Foundation says $79M from 2023 SIGMA Run used to buy CT scan machine for UHWI

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Sagicor says the equipment will be delivered in February 2026.

Sagicor Foundation says approximately $79 million from the 2023 SIGMA charity run was used to purchase a CT scan machine for the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew. The equipment was shipped in December 2025 and is expected to arrive in Jamaica in February, the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.

The foundation said it issued the statement "to add clarity to the discourse relating to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the proceeds of the 2023 SIGMA Corporate Run".

Opposition Spokesperson on Health Dr Alfred Dawes has accused the hospital disregarding staff input in determine what the money should be spent on.

"It wasn't used for what it was supposed to be used for... the pediatricians advocated for a building that they needed," he said Wednesday evening on Television Jamaica's All Angles current affairs programme. "At the end of the day somebody called them into a meeting and said 'you're not getting the money for your building, we're going to use it for the CT scan'."

Meanwhile, Sagicor Foundation said the 2023 event event raised J$91.9 million to support two causes - the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and the UHWI’s Paediatric Unit.

It says US$495,000 (approximately J$79,200,000) was paid to an authorised Philips distributor, to acquire a CT scan machine for UHWI.

"The foundation has been advised by the supplier that the machine was shipped in early December 2025 and is slated to arrive in Jamaica in February 2026," the statement said.

"Sagicor, and by extension, Sagicor Foundation Jamaica is always transparent about the use of the funds raised and the full proceeds are shared amongst beneficiaries, in line with the foundation’s governance framework," it added.

The SIGMA Corporate Run is an annual fundraising and fitness event organised by Sagicor Group, a financial services company.

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