Honourable Mr. Hubert Hughes
Chief Minister of Anguilla
Government Buildings
The Valley, Anguilla
March 3, 2014
Dear Hon. Chief Minister Hughes:
I am writing this letter to address the unacceptable behaviour I encounter when I enter Anguilla to perform my quarterly Urologic Clinic. I write with very conflicting emotions. I am proud to be an Anguillian. But, I am being subjected to escalating harassment and embarrassment when returning home to provide what I know to be a well needed medical service. Yesterday, March 2, 2014, was the tip of the iceberg. I was harassed, decided to leave and was escorted back to the plane like a common criminal.
I travelled to Anguilla on a privately chartered flight to conduct my regular quarterly Urology Clinic. I have been travelling to Anguilla to conduct this Clinic for almost 14 years. Upon arriving, I took my luggage, equipment and some supplies to customs and was attended by customs officer, Ms. Heidi Duncan. Ms. Duncan proceeded to open my boxes with a box cutter and demanded if I had invoices for the items I had in my possession. In particular, the question was asked when she opened a box containing laboratory kits (specimen kits for prostate biopsies, urine cytology kits and stone collection kits). I asked her if she knew what she was looking at and tried to inform her that the items she was referring to were non-charged items and that they were provided free by laboratory/pathology companies. Ms Duncan proceeded to storm around yelling that ” I come to Anguilla and that I do not pay any duties” . She proceeded to take up my medical equipment and place them in a locked room. At that time, I requested my equipment back and told them that I would return to St. Thomas. Ms. Duncan then approached security informing him that my property was to be delivered directly to the plane. Ms. Duncan was loud and threatening. I was extremely embarrassed by the entire situation.
Consequently, I left the customs area and walked around to the departure area. I paid my departure tax and went to TSA, only to have another unpleasant, embarrassing experience. I presented my ticket for my departure tax and my passport. The TSA asked for my boarding pass and I informed her that I did not have one and that I was on a private flight. At that time, she proceeded to verbally chastise me for not relaying that information to her first. Then to cap it all off, I was followed by the security officer to the departure gate as if I was a common criminal, being deported.
I have to remind myself that I was born in Anguilla and I am an Anguillian. I am of that last generation of Anguillians who will remember Anguilla with unpaved roads, without lights and electricity, without telephones. It was in that Anguilla that I developed an interest to pursue a career in medicine. My class was the first in high school to be offered instructions in chemistry. A course that I excelled in and went on to major in at college. I, then, went to one of the best medical schools in the USA, Columbia University. I completed my residency at Columbia University and completed a 2 year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at UCLA School of Medicine. Interestingly, throughout my entire training, I informed my classmates, my professors and anyone who cared to ask or listen that I was going to return home when I completed with my training, and I DID. I always knew that my success was not just about my parents and me. But, it was about the larger Anguilla community and that I would bring my training back. Some of those teachers, businessmen, government officials, attorneys, judges, and ministers of varied denominations are my patients today. I want to share some background. This entire fiasco started several months ago. As I mention, I travel to Anguilla every 3 months. I will go through immigration only to have them more often than not stamp an entry into my passport (but that is another matter). I would proceed to customs not even 20 feet away with both agencies in site of one another. At customs, I will be asked again to examine my passport. Several months ago, I informed customs that their demand for my passport was redundant and that I did not see a purpose for customs inquiring of my passport when that is the function of immigration. I was informed that they needed to ver ify the number that I transcribed on the customs form. I informed them that immigration can validate the number by just applying a stamp to the customs form as is done in many islands across the Caribbean. I was informed by the custom officers that this the way we do it in Anguilla and that I must follow the rules.
Six months ago, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the request for my passport by customs again. At this time Ms. Duncan was present and retaliated by demanding that another agent inspect every item that I had in my possession. That agent even inspected the sales of my shoes that I had in my bag. They finally requested that I pay for some irrigation fluids that I brought with me to do a procedure in the hospital. I informed them that the material was in essence being donated to the hospital and that I was not going to pay duties on material I was donating to the government hospital. I was told that I could not take the material. So it was left at the Airport. It so happened that that case was not done at the hospital for logistic reasons and the duties were paid by Dr. Hughes at Hughes Medical Centre so that the case could be performed there.
Yesterday Ms. Duncan reminded me that Dr. Hughes paid for the supplies on my prior visit. She also reminded me that I would not get satisfaction from her boss, Mr. Kenrick Richardson.
I have established a multi-island practice and as such I am travelling very frequently with my equipment and supplies to 4 islands on a regular basis (Anguilla, BVI, St. Thomas, and St. Croix). I am engaging immigration and customs in the BVI, USVI (St. John’s and St.Thomas) as well as in Anguilla. Sadly, I am treated with the least respect when I arrive in Anguilla . Anguilla is the home of my birth. I consider myself a son of the soil. I have worked very hard to accomplish what I have earned and I credit my work ethics and much of my success to the very foundation that was borne out of Anguilla. Ms. Duncan’s behaviour yesterday was appalling , rude and harassment. I have all intentions of continuing my Urologic Clinic in Anguilla. But, I do not wish to be subjected to this unacceptable behaviour again. I will follow-up with a telephone call in two weeks to discuss my options to ensure that this does not happen again. If you have any questions or concerns before then, please feel free to contact m at 340-690-7893 .
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
