Reprieve for Swiss national who had mental breakdown on vacation
Local authorities backtrack, permit man to stay at Rastafari Herbal Garden
Published:Wednesday | June 12, 2024 | 12:09 AMRochelle Clayton/Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Jamaican authorities have decided against repatriating a Swiss national who recently experienced a mental breakdown while holidaying on the island.
Instead, the man will spend the remainder of his trip at the Rastafari Herbal Garden in Retrieve, Westmoreland, but he is obligated to visit a nearby clinic for weekly treatment, said Thomas Huber, owner of the rural retreat.
The story was first highlighted in The Sunday Gleaner on June 2, with Huber advocating on behalf of the foreign national.
According to Huber, the man had journeyed to the island to heal from a host of traumatic experiences in his home country.
Huber also argued then that the authorities’ decision to send the man back to Switzerland would have been a slap in the face for the local wellness tourism market.
While speaking to The Gleaner on Monday evening, Huber excitedly shared that the Swiss was discharged from the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St James, last Friday.
The Gleaner understands that the man was handed over to Huber, who is Swiss-Jamaican, after his mother, Suzanne, verified her identity and sent a letter of responsibility to the hospital. Huber further stated that this move was recommended by Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH).
“Dr Fray told me that as soon as they got the letter of responsibility, he would be released. He told me that on the Monday after it came out in the paper. The social worker also told me that they have to talk to the legal department, and it looks like they did that.”
WELLNESS TOURISM
In the meantime, Huber said that the Swiss national has been enjoying his time back on the property and that they are also focused on utilising aspects of wellness tourism in his healing process.
Wellness tourism is a type of travel that incorporates and promotes holistic practices to worldwide travellers.
“So far, it has been going good,” said Huber.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism has been growing at 12 per cent annually since 2020.
However, Huber is arguing that Jamaica does not appreciate the sector.
“I don’t think there is a conscious effort being made to really promote it. I think this is something that the Government should take up because it is a long-term vision. I am not rich enough, so I can’t push it how it should be pushed,” Huber stated.
When contacted on Tuesday, Fray told The Gleaner that he was unaware that the Swiss had been released from the hospital. The clinical coordinator said that he would have reached out to the head of the CRH’s psychiatry department before offering an official comment.
However, while speaking to The Sunday Gleaner two weeks ago, Fray explained that there are strict protocols in place for dealing with foreign nationals who experience any form of illness while visiting Jamaica.
“Once the patient is stabilised, we now give the option to return home or continue on their vacation. It is up to the patient. However, if we believe that he or she cannot manage on their own and need family support, we will advise them to return to their country,” he explained then. “This is not only for psychiatric patients, but also a general treatment for foreigners.
“They don’t have a choice. They have to take him back home. We can’t keep him. If he goes back and gets stable, he can always come back,” he said then of the Swiss national.