Ambulance now on location at Sangster airport

Following the heavy backlash the MBJ Airport Limited, operators of the Sangster International Airport, has been getting after the controversial death of a passenger, an ambulance is now stationed at the compound.

Last Wednesday, 71-year-old Leroy Smith, a Westmoreland native who resided in Orlando, Florida, fell and hit his head while checking in to board an outgoing JetBlue flight. No medical assistance was provided because there was no one to approve a US$400 payment to use a private ambulance. He died on the floor where he fell.

In the aftermath, Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton criticised MBJ, which has stated that it has a contractual arrangement with a private entity for ambulance services, for not having an ambulance station of the compound. He further says that having an ambulance at the airport must be mandatory going forward.

This morning, a source at the airport alerted The STAR to the presence of the ambulance on the premises, saying it was there all day yesterday, and was again present this morning.

Efforts to contact Shane Munroe, the chief executive officer of MBJ, to ascertain if this will be a permanent arrangement proved futile as his telephone rang without an answer. 

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