KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s top anti-corruption oversight body, the Integrity Commission (IC), has launched a formal investigation into questionable practices at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), the island nation’s only teaching hospital. The investigation was triggered by a damning audit report compiled by Auditor General Pamela Munroe Ellis, which detailed serious procurement irregularities at the facility.
The most damaging finding from Ellis’ audit centers on a long-running scheme that saw UHWI repeatedly grant private companies access to its government-granted tax-exempt status for importing goods into Jamaica. This unauthorized misuse of the hospital’s privileged tax position has left Jamaican public coffers short more than 20 million Jamaican dollars in lost revenue, according to the audit.
The existence of the active IC probe was revealed publicly by Eric Hosin, the acting chief executive officer of UHWI, during a Tuesday sitting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the legislative body tasked with overseeing government spending and accountability.
During his testimony before the committee, Hosin confirmed that IC investigators had already completed an on-site visit to the UHWI campus. As part of their evidence-gathering process, the anti-corruption team has officially seized and isolated two sets of critical documents: records tied to the unauthorized misuse of the hospital’s tax-exempt import status, and procurement files related to civil construction projects carried out at the facility.
Hosin also named the four private entities that improperly benefited from the scheme: Supreme Laundry Services, Willman Sales, Scientific Medical Services, and JACDEN Limited. As the investigation unfolds, public officials are facing mounting pressure to address gaps in oversight at the public teaching hospital and recover the millions in lost tax revenue.