Another siege on health workers

If this national committee was able to hold five meetings, we were lucky and I attended every single meeting. I cannot say for the SWRHA representatives, for each meeting had a different representative. At these meetings, I was the only person to present any plans and proposals.

A traffic plan was immediately discarded because it eliminated the private entrance to the “Sacred Cows on the hill,” as a former Chairman described them. This private entrance was the main source of pilferage.

Secured doorways were frowned upon as “Fire Service does not allow enclosed fire exists.” I have always seen closed doors with a fire exit sign. Some even said that the hospital is not a jail.

When questions were asked about further meetings, the usual answer, ‘you will be contacted.’ After a few queries, it died a natural death.

Two decisions were made by a local committee. The first was to employ three guards to pace and paint the floors of the hospital, creating a patrol every 15 minutes. This I objected to as window dressing and a waste of funds. I asked that my personal objection be written into the minutes. Two months later, it was stopped as it was expensive and reaping no rewards.

The second decision was a hare-brain scheme to give each floor a colour and to issue colour coded passes. This was thoughtfully presented by a man in a waste-coat and eventually cost tens of thousands of dollars. Again I objected. It was a dismal flop.

Today, over four years later, health workers are being assaulted. Even members of the Police Service have joined the fray. And the SWRHA response was silence. After at least four attacks on Doctors within recent times, MPATT and their members responded and within hours, SWRHA were awoken from their slumber.

The first promise was that of increased security guards, d?j? vu!

The end result of this must be a proper health and safety plan.