Stinking sore at UHWI
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)
