Children's Life Fund helped 86 ill children in two years

THE Children's Life Fund helped to pay for 86 severely-ill children to access life-saving medical treatment in the two years of 2013 and 2014, said the fund's financial statements for 2014. These were laid in the House of Representatives on February 5, as part of an Auditor General's Report on the Financial Statements of the Children's Life Fund for 2014, signed by Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass on January 16, 2025.

The fund's allocation to ill children for the two year period was almost $16 million.

The financial statements said, "The principal activity of the fund is to provide funding and critical support for children suffering from life threatening illnesses for which the required treatment is unavailable at local medical institutions."

Despite some past controversy, the fund is still active, with Newsday reporting on January 5 two doctors being named to the Children's Life Fund Authority's management board chaired by Dr Joanne F Paul.

The financial statements said in 2014, the fund helped 49 children with a variety of ailments at a total cost of $7.38 million.

Of this amount, some 43 children benefited from open-heart surgery from an allocation of $6.44 million.

Four children had liver transplant surgery, in all costing $63,213.

Two other children underwent medical treatment described as "other treatment" at a cost of $63,213.

In 2013, the fund spent $8.57 million to help 37 children have various types of urgent medical treatment.

Thirty children had open-heart surgery, costing $5.26 million in all, under the 2013 allocation.

Three children had liver transplant surgery at a cost of $1.43 million.

The sum also paid for three children to undergo the removal of a tumour, at a total cost of $1.81 million.

One child had a pacemaker inserted, sat a cost of $70,539.

In 2014, the fund's assets had stood at $50.85 million, including cash in hand and at bank of $50.75 million, said the financial statements.

The document also noted a misappropriation of $85,237 in a matter that went to the law courts.

The total assets in 2013 had been $55.66 million, including $55.65 million in cash in hand and at the bank.

A statement of income said for 2013, the Government had given a $30 million subvention, to which were added $4.1 million in donations plus $534,152 in interest income and $28,196 in foreign exchange gain, to give a net income of $34.67 million. That year's costs were $8.57 million in grants and $4,868 in bank charges.

The 2013 surplus income was $26.08 million.

For 2014, there was no governmental subvention. Donations were only $2.03 million, interest income was $539,449 and foreign exchange constituted a loss of $31,255, for a net income of $2.54 million. Expenditure was $7.39 million, comprised of $7.38 million in grants and $5,902 in bank charges.

The 2014 deficit was $4.85 million.

Explanatory notes to the financial statement noted the role of voluntarism in helping the fund.

"No amounts have been reflected in the financial statements for donated services or materials requiring specific expertise.

"However, many individuals volunteer their time and perform a variety of tasks that assist the fund."

The report gave a breakdown of donations, listed separately from government subventions.

Some $2.033 million in donations in 2014 consisted of $1.069 in donations from government ministries, $500,000 from the National Gas Company (NGC), $197,218 from Sagicor, and $266,412 from other donors.

Some $3.79 million in donations made in 2013 consisted of $2.28 million from ministries, $500,000 from the NGC, $644,000 from Phoenix Park, $200,000 from National Energy Corporation (NEC) and $162,437 from other donors.