Stinking sore at UHWI – Jamaica Observer
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Errol Green (centre), flanked by acting CEO of the University Hospital of the West Indies Eric Hosin (right) and Donovan Davis, principal financial officer in the health ministry, during Tuesday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
April 15, 2026
Hospital admits it owes $40b in taxes and backtracks on claim missing files were lost to flooding
THERE were more worrying signs of a long-running culture of improper governance at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) on Tuesday as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) continued its examination of a special auditor general’s report into its operations.
PAC members were left stunned as UHWI executives reported that the hospital owes more than $40 billion in taxes and has no formal payment plan in place, all while operating on a temporary tax compliance certificate (TCC).
The UHWI executives also backtracked on a claim that flooding was responsible for the disappearance of files relating to several millions of dollars in contracts, and stumbled as they responded to reports that a private company was able to pay more than $10 million in Customs duties on goods imported under its tax-exempt status.
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Motor vehicles are seen entering and exiting University Hospital of the West Indies’ main entrance last Friday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
