Negril Resort Board Blasts Authorities For Jet Ski Inaction

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2.../western1.html

This article is speaking on the inaction of the Ministries of Tourism, National Security, and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica on the Jet Ski situation in Negril. Mind you, the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica, Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP (with his full government portfolio being Tourism and Entertainment) is also the Member of Parliament for Western Westmoreland, Jamaica which is part of Negril.

As a Medical Doctor he should be able to understand the grave situation in Negril with the lack of emergency services in the immediate area. Members of Parliament don't have to live in their continuances, most if not all live in Kingston. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2.../letters1.html

According to this article neither he or the person in charge of the Maritime Authority were present at the monthly meeting of the Negril Resort Board. I wonder if Dr. McNeill has been to Negril since the last two tragedy's that occurred?

If anyone wants to contact Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP and tell him how you really feel, here are some of his contacts: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WykehamMcNeill or on the government of Jamaica website http://www.mot.gov.jm/contact/Contac...20of%20Tourism
e-mail: wykeham.mcneill@mot.gov.jm


For me, the real star in Negril is the co-owner of the Travellers Beach Resort, Winthrope Wellington; he breath of fresh air, as he speaks the truth on what is really going on in Negril. He is a very courageous man, especially in a culture where everyone minds there own business or people don't chat too much. He is putting his money where his mouth is and choosing people over money. If more people were like him things would change quickly. While he courageously speaks the truth, others cower in fear and live in a state of inaction for the love of money or because of the mind your own business culture. If I ever go back to Negril I will definitely look for this man to shake his hand and see what I can do to help in his many charitable causes.

After reading this I will put my money where my mouth is and will be donating to his cause, the Negril International Hospital http://www.negrilinternationalwellnessfoundation.org/

"But it was co-owner of the Travellers Beach Resort, Winthrope Wellington, who captured the attention of the members when he recounted the traumatic effects the accident has had on the family of the deceased, and, by extension, his establishment and the resort town.

"I want to make two very strong points on the issue. Everyone knows we have been dealing with this issue for years and years and years," Wellington lamented.

LEADERSHIP GAP

"I think there is a serious gap in the leadership in terms of them understanding what our day-to-day issues are. To them, it's just an unfortunate situation [in which] a tourist has died. But they are not the ones on the beach when there are hundreds of tourists witnessing a man with a gash in his head, from his forehead all the way to the back, and is lying there lifeless; watching people there do CPR for 45 minutes, and his wife is sitting there crying her eyes out, hoping that her husband is going to live.

"And on top of that, they are not the ones dealing with the family … . This man had five kids. They are not the ones that have to go there to the autopsy, take them to the airport, and do all the things that a family needs in times of crisis. And we are the ones at the hotel that have to deal with it on the ground, and that gap needs to be closed. I am sure they appreciate now the ripple effect that the death of a tourist has," he added.

He said the situation was compounded by the fact that the ambulance assigned to the Negril Fire Department was unavailable at the time of the incident.

"People are now questioning the safety of Negril. Everybody who was there knows that no ambulance came. We put this guy in the back of a flatbed; everybody saw that. They are going back to their tour reps and will be reporting that there is no hospital. We fought two and a half years to get this ambulance, and when it was needed, it just wasn't there," he said.

"We are not here to deal with trauma. We are here to deal with guests and hospitality and make sure people come on vacation and enjoy themselves, not to deal with death and despair … and they are putting us in a position where we have to deal with this on a regular basis," Wellington said."

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Originally Posted by finestyle

Hey what do think about first responders to accidents in Negril ? It was a shocking emergency response to the accident at the resort on tuesday 28th. Maybe a life could have been saved if we had a hospital in Negril. It has been 3 years now in the making but the powers that be will NOT sign off on the land for lease/sale. It belongs to the people but controlled by UDC ,it is just beyound the bridge pass the new development and RIU going towards MoBay. Each time we meet with them criteria has to be fullfilled within certain dates, but when that is done they keep moving the goal post. There must be a reason why they do not want this hospital which will be so,so good for the island and the people in Negril.
Come on people get behind this project and show what people power can do please !!!!

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Originally Posted by Rob

Hear, Hear! Negril.com as well as me and Lisa have been behind this project since day one! Perhaps some of the folks spending so much time discussing me and Lisa's personal life and on rumor and speculation about events they know very little if anything about actually DID something to help, we may be further along than we are now. The waste of their potentially valuable time is shameful.

Why doesnt everyone take time out today to contact the NIH http://www.negrilinternationalwellnessfoundation.org/ and ask who they can write to to get this project sped up. You can also donate to the cause - become part of the solution, not part of the problem!

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The above messages were recently posted and I whole heartedly agree.

As for the article in the Gleaner....the Resort Board meeting being referred to was almost a 1 1/2 weeks ago....since then there has been a ban on jet skis and it's being enforced.

Sandy-girl...it's Winston Wellington that is behind the (NIH) hospital project...though the whole family is involved in some way....Winthrope is Winston's son. Totally agree with Winthrope's comments also.

This is Winston Wellington, Chairman of the Negril International

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK_lGGL0WHY





Yes, Bnewb Winthrope Wellington is the son of Winston Wellington that is behind the (NIH) hospital project. It seems like he and his sons have "W" names. Confused me there, lol. I now have to shake dad and son's hand if they're available when I'm there. Awesome family from what I've seen and heard.

Even though, there has been a ban on jet skis since the last meeting of the Negril Resort Board it's just a band-aid if all the major players are not involved ready to come together on regulation and enforcement. In the article it states, ""I think we should invite the [tourism] minister to our next meeting - because it is his constituency - as well as the person in charge of the Maritime Authority," WHAT???? They should of been there already! I bet if Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP lived in Westmoreland things would be moving swiftly. But he lives in a vacuum in Kingston away from everything in a Parish that he's responsible for. For the love of the residents and tourists alike something has to be done. Any ideas?

The land for the hospital project is in the hands of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). How do we contact them? I would like to e-mail them. Their website is down. http://www.udcja.com/

I found this information, though I'd rather e-mail. Head Office (Downtown Kingston): Postal address: 12 Ocean Boulevard, Kingston Mall, Jamaica W.I.. Telephone: (876)-922-8310-4. Telefax: (876)-922-9326.

https://www.facebook.com/UrbanDevelopmentCorporation

What will it take to get this project to fly.. ? I am an RN and I want to help with more than just my words and money. I feel the heartbreak on a personal level. This is a basic human right, not a tourist privilege, a human right for all. I am a telemedicine Cancer Nurse working both in US and Canada on a daily basis. I am here, ready to join the army of folks to get this going. I don't have alot of money but I will make time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sandy-girl

This is Winston Wellington, Chairman of the Negril International

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK_lGGL0WHY





Yes, Bnewb Winthrope Wellington is the son of Winston Wellington that is behind the (NIH) hospital project. It seems like he and his sons have "W" names. Confused me there, lol. I now have to shake dad and son's hand if they're available when I'm there. Awesome family from what I've seen and heard.

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Has anyone ever explained WHY the ambulance was unavailable?

We saw the ambulance pass us with its lights and siren on near Sheffield early in the day, suspecting it was on its way to the Sav Hospital.

We did see the ambulance later in the day parked with the lights on (no siren) at the Shields driveway (next to Travellers). This would have been well after the incident occurred that day.

The reason we remember it was that seeing the ambulance twice in one day seemed strange and the fact it was parked with its lights at Shields on made it hard to miss.

We then found out what had happened and our thoghts and prayers went out the family and friends of the victim.