Another ambulance needed in Negril

I am writing this post in hopes that people will help lobby for the cause of another ambulance in Negril. I have been traveling to Negril for the past 20 years and I am very much in love with the island of Jamaica. This past trip, however, was a nightmare. I am the daughter of the woman who suffered a heart attack on the Negril Beach Club property. The lack of response by any medical professionals is heartbreaking to me. Not just because of the loss of my mother, but because the Jamaican people deserve better too. There were over 15 people who called the ambulance, both locals and tourists. No response service EVER showed up. The attempts by myself, my fiancé and the guests proved insufficient. The police didn't even show up until close to an hour after she had passed, and then there was a several hour wait for a coroner as her body lie on a pool chair in the parking lot. This is unacceptable. EVERYBODY deserves a chance and I would like to see better for Jamaica and my Jamaican friends who are family to me. If anyone is willing to help me with this cause, I would be forever grateful. Things like this should not happen, and I plan to make it a mission that nobody else has to go through what we did and are still going through.

I'm very sorry for your loss and the way it happened must have felt helpless. My wife and I discussed this and I brought up the idea of having an overall "visitor tax" which may be something like 10 USD or something per visit. I would imagine something like this would be more than welcomed by visitors and also create "x" amount of jobs for the people. Visistors to Negril are often repeat visitors and I am confident people would be willing to donate supplies and/or money. A little by everyone could go a long way.

This ought to develop into an interesting discussion.

wow. I'm so sorry for your loss. :(

Negril.com needs to take up donations for an ambulance and medical supplies.

What a horrible ordeal. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Wonderful of you to want to make a difference, what a great way to honor your mother's memory. This is something I'm sure many will want to support. I pray your cause gathers wings and fly.

I am so sorry for your loss. Blessings to you and yours.

sorry for your family that had to endure this . . . since this is not hearsay this thread should be allowed to develop . . .

An hour for the police to get there??? I have heard of this over and over. No excuses. So sorry for your loss and having to go through such nonsense.

So sorry for your loss. Prayers of peace to you and your family.

Mcselva,

We are terribly sorry to hear about the passing of your mother. Our thoughts and prayers have been going out to you and your family and her friends.

As you know from your 20 years of visiting Jamaica and Negril, you have seen things progress. As a little village of approximately 5000 residents, Negril has been making strides over the past two decades. And while Negril does have an public ambulance service, there is currently only one.

Since we live here and are all to familiar with this situation having to deal with it on a daily basis, you can be certain that you are not alone in wanting to see better for Jamaica. To that end, Winston Wellington, the owner of Travellers Beach Resort, who was instrumental in obtaining the ambulance for Negril has started the Negril International Hospital (NIH) project. Here is some information gleaned from their website:

MISSION
Our mission is to provide thoughtful, professional and complete medical treatments which specialize in emergency care, and surgical procedures. This will aid both the Jamaican nationals, and the over one million tourists that visit Negril each year. We also strive to provide a 24 hour emergency based hospital facility that will enable patients to receive specialized and urgent health care at all hours of the day. Furthermore, we will have a professional, compassionate staff that will cater to all patients’ needs, providing comprehensive medical treatments for emergency and surgical care.


GOALS
The Hospital is designed to become a recognized leader in its specialized field; exceling in emergency, clinical, and surgical services. The facility will feature over 100 acres of clinical space which will include a state of the art emergency room, a cardiology lab, and a radiology department. In addition to several operating rooms. Moreover, the hospital will feature 100 beds for in-patient care. Currently, there are no private hospitals in Negril to fully service both the inhabitants of Negril and the one million tourists that travel there annually, and the Negril International Hospital aims to fill this void.

http://www.negrilhospital.org/

There are links on the site to donate directly to this ambitious cause, which would vastly improve the medical services available in and around Negril. Donating to this worthy cause would probably be the best way to bring about the much needed services for visitors and locals alike. The first phase is projected to be opening in 2015. The Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea was just given 18 new beds by the NIH project in January, and the Sav La Mar Hospital had previously received 25 new beds. Here was the article in the Gleaner from February 16th:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...western92.html

The NIH contact information and Board of Governors and Advisory Board are listed below:

CONTACT


Negril International Hospital
200-09 Hollis Avenue :: Queens New York 11412
Voice: 718-753-9920 :: Fax: 718-230-7831


Travellers Beach Resort,
Norman Manley Blvd
Negril Westmoreland
Jamaica West Indies
Tel: 876-957-9308
Email: bill@negrilhospital.org


BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Winston Wellington, NIH Chairman
Bill Tingling, CEO
Wayne De-Leon CFO, Treasurer
Dr. Rudolph Willis, Secretary
Carl Reid, Paramedic
Dr. David Garwood, MD
Dennis Hawthorne
Elaine Allen Bradley RN, BSC
Patrick Fletcher
Barry Westcarr
Dr. Eric Shoenfeld, MD
Dr. Richard Constable, MD
Winthrope Wellington, B.S., M.B.A.
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Angela Sutherland


ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Dr. Winston Davidson, MD
Christine Chadwick
Dr. Winston Price, MD
Dr. Una Clarke
Edward Stephenson
Ken Cooney
John Brown
Karl & Fay Rodney
Telieth Drummond
Winfield Wellington, B.S.
Wingate Wellington, B.S., CPA
Keith Dwaynie
Sandy Vasceannie
Joyce Perry
Fitzroy Hall