The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob Winter came over to my 23 Chernobyl Vigil to offer his support.
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Vigil Photo 24 April 2009.
The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob Winter came over to my 23 Chernobyl Vigil to offer his support.
Friday 17 April 2009
The Incubator second attempt.
I was determined to get the life saving Incubator to the hospital despite it being returned to the UK. Edinburgh has a Ukrainian Consulate and when I contacted them they
offered to help me get the Incubator into Ukraine without having to pay the import tax of £320. Although it took a few months the Consulate were able to obtain the neccesary Custom clearance which would allow the Incubator free entry into the country.
I contacted GB. Medical, paid £250 for a second international transport to Kiev by TNT International Transport and began making arrangemants for my annual visit to the Ukrainian hospital in Malin. When I eventually arrived at the hospital I would be able to see that the maternity Dept. had at long last received their incubator.
In November 2006 I arrived at the hospital with money to buy medicine and I also had some small medical items. The Doctors were as usual happy to get the aid I had brought for the children, but when I asked about the Incubator they were distraught. I was taken to the maternity Dept. where I saw my Incubator so badly damaged it could not be used. I was shattered by this,all those months of planning,and donated money wasted. When I contacted TNT International regarding compensation they told me that as around ten or twelve days had elapsed between the Incubator arriving at the hospital and my arrival I would get not a penny of compensation. I told them that the Doctor who signed for the Incubator had to sign at the Zheetomir Customs holding area without seeing the Incubator, she did not know it was damaged. When the Incubator was collected from the Zheetomir Customs by the hospital,they had to wait until I arrived to show me the damage. On my return to Scotland later that month I tried contacting various TNT Depots in the UK for help regarding compensation but to no avail. However Claire Grant a Reporter for my local newspaper, Cumbernauld News,
contacted TNT and asked them to reconsider, the outcome was that TNT told her that
if I was able to buy another Incubator, TNT would transport it to Ukraine free of charge. This said TNT's Mr.Walker was not an admission of guilt on their part. There
was no way for me to be able to get another Incubator as I had no more money,and after all the bureaucracy and not our problem, its your problem with TNT I put this project on hold until I work out a better plan of action.
offered to help me get the Incubator into Ukraine without having to pay the import tax of £320. Although it took a few months the Consulate were able to obtain the neccesary Custom clearance which would allow the Incubator free entry into the country.
I contacted GB. Medical, paid £250 for a second international transport to Kiev by TNT International Transport and began making arrangemants for my annual visit to the Ukrainian hospital in Malin. When I eventually arrived at the hospital I would be able to see that the maternity Dept. had at long last received their incubator.
In November 2006 I arrived at the hospital with money to buy medicine and I also had some small medical items. The Doctors were as usual happy to get the aid I had brought for the children, but when I asked about the Incubator they were distraught. I was taken to the maternity Dept. where I saw my Incubator so badly damaged it could not be used. I was shattered by this,all those months of planning,and donated money wasted. When I contacted TNT International regarding compensation they told me that as around ten or twelve days had elapsed between the Incubator arriving at the hospital and my arrival I would get not a penny of compensation. I told them that the Doctor who signed for the Incubator had to sign at the Zheetomir Customs holding area without seeing the Incubator, she did not know it was damaged. When the Incubator was collected from the Zheetomir Customs by the hospital,they had to wait until I arrived to show me the damage. On my return to Scotland later that month I tried contacting various TNT Depots in the UK for help regarding compensation but to no avail. However Claire Grant a Reporter for my local newspaper, Cumbernauld News,
contacted TNT and asked them to reconsider, the outcome was that TNT told her that
if I was able to buy another Incubator, TNT would transport it to Ukraine free of charge. This said TNT's Mr.Walker was not an admission of guilt on their part. There
was no way for me to be able to get another Incubator as I had no more money,and after all the bureaucracy and not our problem, its your problem with TNT I put this project on hold until I work out a better plan of action.
Tuesday 7 April 2009
Annual Chernobyl Vigil. April 24 2009.
On Friday April 24th. 2009. My Annual
Chernobyl Vigil will take place in Glasgow’s
George Square, from 08:00 hrs. till 20:00 hrs.
If anyone would like to come along at some time
During the Vigil I would be happy to meet them
Cheers Jim.
Chernobyl Vigil will take place in Glasgow’s
George Square, from 08:00 hrs. till 20:00 hrs.
If anyone would like to come along at some time
During the Vigil I would be happy to meet them
Cheers Jim.
Monday 6 April 2009
The Incubaror, first attempt.
During my 2004 hospital visit,I was shown round the Maternity section old broken down equipment was all they had. Their one Incubator was more twenty years old and broken, no parts to try and repair it were available,and the hospital had no money to buy another one. How could their Maternity section function properly without an Incubator to help new born babies to survive. I made up my mind to try and get them an Incubator,but how to begin? Back home in Scotland I found out the cost of a new Incubator was too expensive. I asked around various hospitals about the possibility of them donating an Incubator that was being replaced by a new one. Unfortunatly none of them were able to help despite me following the various tel.Nos. I was given when initially calling to be told: "this office does not deal with obsolete Incubators" "You could try this number" "the person you want does not work in this Dept" and so on. One day as I carried on with my quest for an Incubator I was told by a hospital stores manager that due to changes in the legal system any unwanted, obsolete or surplus medical rquipment from hospitals could not be disposed to a private individual.The reason being that in event of an accident involving such equipment, the hospital authorities could be sued for damages. However he told me that such equipmant was collected by registerd disposal companies,one of such was a
company called G.B.Medical in England.
I got in touch with this company and they told me that they had two refurbished Incubators I was happy to be told this good news after so long. The cheapest one was £500 and I was able to buy it. However the cost of sending this Incubator to Ukraine by TNT International carriers was £300 a total cost of £800. This would use up all the money I had left,but I knew it was a life saver and I arranged transport using GB
Medical to contact TNT ( one of the carriers their company used )to finalise the deal. Before I set off for Ukraine in Nov.2005 I contacted GB Medical and TNT to make
sure that the Incubator would be delivered to my friend's address in Kiev when I would be there .My friend would arrange with the hospital to have the Incubator taken from Kiev to Malin. In Nov. 2005 I awaited the Incubator delivery,but it never arrived. We phoned the TNT complex in Kiev a modern State of the Art warehouse to be told that the Ukrainian Customs wanted £320 to release the Incubator, I was stunned by this news, unbelievable how could this be. The following day we went to see the Customs Officers at the TNT Depot my friend pleaded with them on my behalf to no avail, he was asked by the Ukrainian Customs Officer to submit a written appeal. This letter was translated for me,and I signed it, submitting my passport details. We then left and after a couple of days,were told, that I must pay £320 no mercy, no money no Incubator for Ukrainian babies. Everone including the Media thought it was a bad situation but nobody could help. It was time for me to return to Scotland and my work. Maantime my friend in Kiev continued to try and get the authorities to free the Incubator.While back home I also tried to get answers as to why the Incubator was being held. There was also according to TNT a possible storage charge. Then in January 2005 TNT sent the Incubator back to GB Medical with a bill of £140
payable by me, thankfully GB Medical paid this for me as a donation. After all my work,my Ukrainian friend's work, many phone calls, personal visits to Ukrainian Government Depts. £800 donated by kind people the Incubator was back at source. What to do now. I have to try again, and succeed, but how. My next blog will second attempt.
company called G.B.Medical in England.
I got in touch with this company and they told me that they had two refurbished Incubators I was happy to be told this good news after so long. The cheapest one was £500 and I was able to buy it. However the cost of sending this Incubator to Ukraine by TNT International carriers was £300 a total cost of £800. This would use up all the money I had left,but I knew it was a life saver and I arranged transport using GB
Medical to contact TNT ( one of the carriers their company used )to finalise the deal. Before I set off for Ukraine in Nov.2005 I contacted GB Medical and TNT to make
sure that the Incubator would be delivered to my friend's address in Kiev when I would be there .My friend would arrange with the hospital to have the Incubator taken from Kiev to Malin. In Nov. 2005 I awaited the Incubator delivery,but it never arrived. We phoned the TNT complex in Kiev a modern State of the Art warehouse to be told that the Ukrainian Customs wanted £320 to release the Incubator, I was stunned by this news, unbelievable how could this be. The following day we went to see the Customs Officers at the TNT Depot my friend pleaded with them on my behalf to no avail, he was asked by the Ukrainian Customs Officer to submit a written appeal. This letter was translated for me,and I signed it, submitting my passport details. We then left and after a couple of days,were told, that I must pay £320 no mercy, no money no Incubator for Ukrainian babies. Everone including the Media thought it was a bad situation but nobody could help. It was time for me to return to Scotland and my work. Maantime my friend in Kiev continued to try and get the authorities to free the Incubator.While back home I also tried to get answers as to why the Incubator was being held. There was also according to TNT a possible storage charge. Then in January 2005 TNT sent the Incubator back to GB Medical with a bill of £140
payable by me, thankfully GB Medical paid this for me as a donation. After all my work,my Ukrainian friend's work, many phone calls, personal visits to Ukrainian Government Depts. £800 donated by kind people the Incubator was back at source. What to do now. I have to try again, and succeed, but how. My next blog will second attempt.
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