Ambulance now stationed at Sangster airport following death of passenger

In the wake of the heavy backlash that MBJ Airports Limited, the operator of the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, has been getting since last week's controversial death of a passenger, an ambulance is now stationed at the airport.

Last Wednesday, 71-year-old Leroy Smith, a native of Westmoreland, and who resided in Orlando, Florida, fell while checking in to board an outgoing JetBlue flight.

He was not moved to get medical help because there was no one to approve a US$400 payment to use the service of a private ambulance.

He died on the floor where he fell.

In the aftermath of Smith's death, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton criticised MBJ for not having an ambulance stationed at the compound, saying that this must be mandatory going forward.

MBJ had stated that it has a contractual arrangement with a private entity for ambulance services.

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

Efforts to contact MBJ CEO Shane Munroe to ascertain if this will be a permanent arrangement proved futile as his telephone rang without an answer. 

- Adrian Frater

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