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One of the 59 Haitian orphans, a boy who suffered from severe hydrocephalus and underwent surgery at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital (BCH) in May, is no longer in the custody and care of the Mustard Seed Community (MSC), the agency’s CEO confirmed.
The boy is the focus of allegations of abuse and denial of medical care brought against MSC by Sheryl Ritchie, an official with HaitiChildren, a nonprofit organization that provides care and education for abandoned, orphaned and disabled children in Haiti.
He was one of 61 Haitians sent to Jamaica to escape gang violence in Haiti.
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain cavities, or ventricles, causing the patient’s head to be too large relative to the body.
Father Garvin Augustine is speaking with The Gleaners Yesterday, MSC said it had arranged for the orphan to be examined by local medical staff at BCH on a Wednesday last month.
“On Monday morning… a person who came to look after the child, who was one of the 10 missing, took the child to hospital in Kingston. He was sent back and told to come back the next day. He was checked on Tuesday, the day before Wednesday, according to the MSC appointment. He was admitted to the hospital and had surgery sometime during the Labour Day (May 23) holiday. He has been discharged from the hospital, but not the MSC,” Father Gavin told The Gleaners.
According to him, the MSC has reported the matter to the police and worked out a protocol with the local health agency.
“Currently, there are three children being treated at the hospital and attempts to release another Haitian child, but not to the MSC. Therefore, we had to stop this practice and tell the hospital what to do. In addition, no child in an MSC facility may be released to an individual who has not been properly identified by us and who is not authorized by us,” he outlined.
MSC has been forced to respond to damning allegations about its operations by a Haitian children’s group. MSC has refuted the group’s allegations that it mistreats Haitian orphans who arrived in Jamaica in March to escape violence in their home country.
Fr Gavin said the allegations were “false and baseless” and damaged MSC’s reputation in the regions where it operates.
Some of Jamaica’s most respected and powerful business operators, retired but still active, are associated with MSC, which was founded by the highly respected Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon.
A few days ago, Rich and Susan Krabach, the founder and operator of this nursing home in Haiti, were quoted in an interview with the National News Network jamaica observer Allegedly, the Jamaican children seemed happy and well cared for at Jacob’s Ladder, but the same could not be said for the Haitian orphans.
She also claimed that Jacob’s Ladder repeatedly refused to allow an ambulance into the facility. She said the ambulance was to take the child to the hospital, and she questioned Jacob’s Ladder’s claim that more than 20 additional staff members were hired to care for the child, saying she had seen no more than five employees.
Meanwhile, Krabacher said she wants to sever ties with MSC and called on the government to grant it a license to operate in Jamaica.
It was Krabach who turned to MSC for help.
Haitian Children claimed it had paid $100,000 to care for the orphans when the group arrived in Jamaica in March.
MSC executive Darcy Tulloch-Williams said it would be irresponsible for the organization to hand over any person in its care to a stranger without documentation and identification.
“That was the only time we denied anyone access to the facility. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had done that? (and) the child never showed up again? In the case of missing children, at least we know who brought the child to the hospital and under whose care he was discharged,” she told The Gleaners.
Once they produce the proper documentation, they are granted access.
Tulloch-Williams and other executives said MSC never made any financial demands on Haitian children and that the $100,000 transferred to it was to help build additional space to house Haitian children.
“They agreed to donate $120,000 for the physical plant, but we only got $100,000. They don’t provide food to the children here. They come in wearing scrubs. When you see them the next day, they are wearing clothes provided by the donor. They have no medical records or documents,” said Father Gavin.
He also said that the allegations of malnutrition among the orphans were lies as the Haitian Children’s Organization had informed MSC before arriving on the island that 17 children were malnourished. MSC nutritionists have been following the recommended diet to improve the health of the children.
MSC said Jacob’s Ladder has nearly 100 nursing staff providing 24-hour care, working in shifts to monitor residents. MSC’s figures do not include cooks, cleaners, drivers, laundry workers, security and maintenance staff.
“If they were healthy when they came here, there is no way they would be so malnourished after arriving in March. They could eat four meals a day,” said Father Gavin.
The ongoing gang warfare has disrupted the lives of the Haitian people, especially the most vulnerable in society, and the Jamaican government has approved MSC to take in these severely disabled orphans.
10 paramedics left with their luggage
Meanwhile, the 10 missing Haitians were among a group of 16 orphan caregivers placed at Jacob’s Ladder.
According to Father Gavin, they took away luggage and other personal belongings.
“It was a Saturday morning. I can’t remember the date now. But they left in a minibus with their luggage and smartphones and we didn’t know where they were. After they left, we never got in touch with Jacob’s Ladder again,” he said.
He added that Jamaica’s immigration department was aware of the matter and that as of today, the missing Haitians no longer had legal rights on the island because they had outlasted their stay, which was set to expire on Wednesday.
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