Jamerican donor angered by red tape

Gareth Davis Sr, Gleaner Writer

A United States nurse practitioner is fuming over what she describes as the debilitating democracy cramping her efforts to assist needy institutions in the island.

During a visit to the Fruitful Vale Primary School in Portland on Monday, Muriel Gordon complained that a 20-foot container loaded with gifts for a hospital, clinic and the school had been held up since July.

Gordon, who was born in Kingston and grew up in Fruitful Vale, said she had been advised to seek the assistance of a minister of government in clearing the 20-foot container in time for the gifts to be handed out to their beneficiaries.

"I contacted the office of the government minister and I was advised what to do," she told The Gleaner. "I followed the guidelines and the container arrived in Jamaica in July. I took time out to come back home to oversee and spearhead the distribution, only to be told that the invoice cannot be found. It is absurd and unacceptable. All the relevant documents indicating the contents of the container and its donors were submitted."

The obviously disappointed nurse practitioner said her desire was to have the contents of the container handed over to the Port Antonio Hospital, the Shrewsbury clinic and the Fruitful Vale Primary School before she returns to work in the US on Friday.

"The gifts are all brand new, and were donated by persons with good intentions, and who genuinely want to help people here," she added. "I am worried about returning home on Friday and not being able to provide my local government and donors with an update regarding the distribution. There is simply too much red tape involved."

Gordon, who resides in Long Island, New York, left Jamaica as a young adult. She specialises in paediatrics.

She is currently with the county department of health, where she is employed as a clinical nurse.

Among the items she said are packed in the container are 5,000 books, pencils, pens, rulers, crayons, sharpeners, a new refrigerator, television sets, DVD players, VCRs, learning cassettes, tennis racquets, baseballs, footballs and basketballs for the school; a fridge and a stove for the clinic, and nebulisers, X-ray and viewing machines, ultrasound machine, and other medical equipment for the hospital.

"Despite the disappointment, I will not be deterred by this," Gordon said. "I intend to carry on with the effort of donating gifts to the school, the community, hospital, and clinic. Even if I have to spend my own money to ensure that containers are cleared, but nothing is going to derail this effort. I am Jamaican, and I love my country and its people."