awesome...I will find it..thanks so much!!
awesome...I will find it..thanks so much!!
Sorry I missed this post, but to correct some of the misinformation being posted in this thread - here is a part of what I posted back in July of 2013:Originally Posted by suzengrace
"The nearest hospitals are in Sav about a 25 minute drive away, not an hour and a half. Royal Medical probably has the best facilities and are privately run. But they do cost more than the government run public hospital in Sav. The public hospital also has emergency room services that have treated many a friend of mine when they were in a critical accident.
Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay is the one that is 1 and half hours away. They have the best facilities on the western end of the island.
Recently a person fell off the cliffs between Rockhouse and 3 Dives and ended up near the bottom by the sea. The ambulance was there in minutes and the doctor on call originally suggested taking them immediately to Sav for emergency treatment since it was the closest facility. But since they were conscious when the emergency workers got down to them, after speaking directly to the person by cellphone, the doctor asked them a series of questions and determined that they were in good enough condition to head to the Cornwall Hospital in MoBay.
After two days of MRI's and cat-scans and finding no serious damage, they were bandaged up and sent on a plane back home. They were extremely lucky as they had fallen some 25 feet. But the professionalism of the emergency crew and doctor on call made all the difference for them. I witnessed the entire series of events and the Negril rumor mill was in such fast action that by the time I walked back to 3 Dives (about a minute away), it had already been announced that the person had died. So much for the rumor mill... "
So this is coming from a first hand, eyewitnessed perspective, no guessing or speculation required. I know the ambulance has fully trained EMTs and is fully stocked with necessary emergency equipment. I was behind the ambulance and had full view of their equipment as the EMT by the ambulance spoke directly to the doctor on call. They will take you to the hospital that the emergency doctor on call that the EMTs are talking with decide is the best choice since time is a critical factor.
Sav hospital does have an emergency room and is equipped to handle life threatening emergencies. This too I have witnessed first hand when friend was in a motorcycle accident. The services are as one would expect in nearly any rural hospital anywhere. Sav is the capital of Westmoreland but it is far from what anyone would call a "big city" so you cannot expect big city hospital type services.
Also, being a developing country, Jamaica is constantly improving the state of its medical care. The recent donations in December by the NIH Project being the latest in those improvements.
To spread rumor and speculation as well as guesses as fact is a disservice....
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
Completely agree and it is also a disservice if anyone belittles, downplays or otherwise whitewashes any serious incident like an accident, a robbery or any other safety issue that could possibly forewarn a visitor and help them take precautions to prevent the same thing from happening to them.
Money is not the key to happiness, Happiness is!
Ben Franklin
Kylake,
Exactly! We always want our visitors to have the best time possible, that is why this site was created almost 20 years ago now. And for that to happen, factual information is the only way! As the old saying goes, to be forewarned is to be forearmed!
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
Wow Rob-things have sure change in as far as how equipped the new ambulance is now as well as Sav…thats a positive thing for the folks allover the area -not just tourists.
I'd love to see some pictures of the ambulance (inside) as well as the Sav ER dept…-anyway you could get a few shots and post them?
" Ones destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." (Henry Miller)
Next chance I get - I will ask them. And if they agree, then no problem!
And yes, things must have changed since the last time you checked things out.
It is generally best to stay up on things as I do since I live here and may need medical care. And the Sav Hospital's own website states they have "24 Hour Casualty / Accident & Emergency (A&E)".
http://www.wrha.gov.jm/content/WRHA_Westmoreland.html
By the way, Charlotte Wallace from Rockhouse was with me when the EMTs were working hard to save the woman's life. We were both amazed at how efficient and dedicated the EMTs were - it was incredible to see those professionals in action.
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
If I didn't know better myself and I was a first time visitor reading some of these inaccurate posts (RE: EMT, Ill equipped hospitals) I'd be extremely nervous about visiting Negril.
In this thread, I've read about: People videoing someone dying on the beach, nearest hospital 90 mins away, Police taking along time to respond to a potentially fatal accident, a person leaving a murder scene, ambulances not accepting credit cards........and that's just a few!. Thankfully, there's people like Rob who can rectify all this "made up" nonsense and actually provide facts.
It is extremely sad that there's been a fatality, my thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim.
The person who filmed the victim receiving CPR, in my opinion potentially thought they were 'gathering evidence' but to then post it onto a well known site to promote it is just sick, twisted and thoughtless, heartless with total disregard for the victims nearest and dearest. Should the video be used for evidence then fair enough, pass it onto the correct channels. Posting it for the world to see is inexcusable behaviour. Glad I didn't see it and glad it's been deleted!.
Summary: accidents happen, whether it's a horse, jet ski, aeroplane, car, motorbike, hurricane, avalanche, cliff, stairs etc etc. We can't live in a mamby pamby state where people are too scared to do things, we just need to be more personally responsible for our own safety and of those around us.
NB this post isn't intended to offend anybody, apologies if it has!
My guest at Treehouse suffered a seizure and was whisked away in an ambulance within 20 minutes.
She spent the night in the hospital
One word of advice take cash , registration was $1500JA , my staff only had his debit card so he found an ATM and came back to pay the fee.
So in the rush remember the cash
If you are swimming in the water, be careful and responsible, if you are driving a boat do the same, if you are riding a jet ski be careful and responsible...etc, etc...
We vacation on a lake in Michigan every summer where jet skis are all over the place, and there are people riding them who don't know what they are doing and are inexperienced. We were towing our daughter and her friend on a tube from our boat and someone on a jet ski didn't see the line and almost nailed us on the boat. We can't stand that inexperienced and foolish people are on them (not everyone, mind you), It just causes us to be more careful and keep a close eye out for them. They aren't going to go away people, just be more careful and aware of your surroundings. The thing that bothers me about them in Negril is when they aren't watching in front of them because the driver is trying to solicit business from the beach.
I have a good friend who has the largest jet ski and boat rental operation in St. Augustine. 20 - 25 skis on any given day.
Here are the regulations:
1. Riders must go thru a quick review of safety procedures and designated riding areas
2. Riders under 18 take a short written exam that gets then the required certification to run a watercraft
3. The rental operation must have an employee on a ski with a radio in the riding area to enforce the riding area and no wake zonesrequirements.
A bit too regulated for Jamaica?
Linston's Zion Hill Taxi
Captain Dave
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