Critical medical equipment that has been donated to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland is now sitting at the wharf as Jamaica Customs Agency has decided not to release the goods.
According to Customs, the shipment was not cleared as additional information is required from the Ministry of Health charities arm, the Health and Wellness for Life Foundation. The equipment includes two examination beds, an ultrasound machine, several medical scales and blood-pressure units.
Susan Brown, one of the donors, said she has called on the Jamaica Customs Agency to do more to ensure the goods are cleared.
“How much longer must the patients at the hospital be forced to wait? How many Jamaican citizens must perish for lack of equipment before Freeport Customs handles this issue with the care and attention it deserves – one, 10, 100? What is the price of doing the right thing in Jamaica, and when did it become such an administrative burden to give kindness? This is not the Jamaica I remember. This is not the Jamaica of my youth. What has happened to the spirit of kindness and oneness that once existed? We have already collected 10 more hospital beds and wheelchairs. We are willing to give back to my country, my island, but we cannot do anything until we know that this initial situation is resolved,” Brown said.
TERRIFIED
Brown says although she has more beds to donate, she is terrified by the ordeal that she had to endure.
“They went online and saw that the ultrasound machine was US$39,000 (approximately J$5 million) and that the bed was US$7,500 (approximately J$955,000) and they are telling me that I must pay a fee of US$28,000 (more than J$3.5 million) to clear it … I donated it for free. I am giving back to my country,” she said.
Robert Ferguson said that although it seems that their issue will soon be resolved, he wanted to share their story so that other persons will know what they have to deal with.
“We just want people to know, because they need to learn from our experience so that they know what to do if they plan to donate because in the end it is the people suffer,” he said.
Shanaga Brown said he was moved to give back to the hospital after a relative died there. “My wife’s niece, through a difficult pregnancy, had passed away in childbirth at Sav-La-Mar Hospital recently, a situation which may have been avoided if an ultrasound was present,” he noted.
Shameful Jamaica Customs. Meanwhile the practice of custom officers meeting their friends at the airport to escape paying custom duties still exist.
Why not donate it to other Caribbean islands thats in need of it!!!
Why don’t these ppl do their research/checks and make arrangements beforehand?
You know how many ppl send things to Jamaica and tell LIE that it’s for Charity? – get them duty free then sell or do whatever with them.
This is to prevent that.
You are absolutely right!!! Whenever Jamican see any type of loophole, they exploit it. You guys remember when they use to shipped to Jamaica in halves?
As you said, go through the proper channels and the things will get through without problems. A lot of those donated machines will be missing from the hospital and end up in some doctors office in no time. Some of these doctors are some of the biggest crooks on the island.
** Whenever *Jamaicans* see any type of loophole, they exploit it. You guys remember when they use to shipped *motor vehicles * to Jamaica in halves
A must the Chinese own wharf to. Jamaica is a mess!!
DISGRACE!
You are not the first and you won’t be the last.
If a politician or customs officer nah eat a food, you donations will rot there or be auctioned.
U know what, people need to follow procedure. Not because you say you are donating, customs must just take your word and release goods. There are proper channels to go through. Don’t let it seem as if customs is just being hard on you. Go through the right channels and you will have no issue. I know exactly how this works. You have to get the proper documents from MOH as the article stated. Your word that it is for charity will not work. Contact the MOH to find out what you need in order to proceed. Customs is demanding that money because you have not gone through the proper procedures and obtained the paperwork needed to clear the equipment as a donation to the country. Customs can really be a headache but they are not always wrong
because they didnt fill out the necessary paper works and send it down in the name of a charitable organization. Even Satan down a hell have rules and if ppl could a just send down things so and say is a donation then all the business people who import stuff to sell back would do it too to save money from not paying custom fees. This is a wonderful initiative but it they didnt follow the correct procedure and this is the result.
One ting bout mi country it need some new leaders… A swear! cause sumting wah ago mek better dem a hold back…. Crazy as f**k and wah dem fi keep dem nuh keep…. Might as well stawt call di place Jamchina cause we want everybody and dem nuh want we… Country waah shake up bad bad.
Unnu jus dark and foolish, you think you can jus approach Customs Officer suh and tell him yuh good intentions and him jus let yuh guh suh, He/She has the Commissioner to answer to and she wants her Revenue.
Follow due protocol and you good to go, any form of mediacal equipment coming through any port of call is dutiable, if it’s a donation like she said, write to the Ministry of Finance for approval before carrying the equipment into the country.
All this information is viewable on the Jamaica Customs Agency website.
http://www.jacustoms.gov.jm
Dats why mi nuh get involved with no shipping of nutten to Jamaica. Health a govt ministry suh meck di govt get di equipment dem need and outfit the hospitals as needed. Here in the farrin land, nuff hospitals do dem own fundraisers; dem have home lotteries where you can win homes, vacations, cash, vehicles and such for about $100/ticket. Maybe that is what the hospitals in JA should be doing, selling lottery tickets and raising funds for research and equipment on their own. I am tired of reading these stories time and again, stop shipping these things to Jamaica and let the govt get the equipment on their own or the hospitals or clinics finds ways and means of procuring the equipment that they need.
Free up di equipments! Ppl a dead eeda way suh if it can save some mek it save some. Money??? Mi bloodclaaat!!!! a one a di dirtiest tings.
Look like is pure thieving customs officers follow up pink wall bet if she did offer unuh a ting it release damn thief unuh bout f**king revenue unuh collecting like is unuh business place time unuh do more border protection oops wait unuh don’t know what name so