Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter
THE island's rising number of drug mules is now putting added pressure on the resources at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) as doctors and nurses at the facility are required to attend to more than 10 persons interdicted for drug ingestion each week.
It is also proving burdensome to the police who say that the exercise is "labour intensive".
The police have confirmed taking 50 suspected drug mules to that institution since January 1, including four who were taken in on Friday night.
The Sunday Gleaner understands that the situation has become so intense that members of the medical staff and nurses on wards at the KPH are increasingly frustrated about the "visitors" who require added attention and extra bed space for recuperation.
This has led to overcrowding and further stress on the staff, already under pressure from the large number of other cases they deal with regularly.
Hospital officials would not give details of the extent of the problem. However, members of staff were seen complaining bitterly Friday night, when the four persons were taken in, including one with a Bible in his hand.
"We're tired of it," one nurse complained openly. "The beds are full of them (suspected drug mules). They must find somewhere else for them."
Yesterday, one sister at the hospital agreed that there had been increasing cases but declined to comment further.
However, duty administrator at the facility, Dr. Joseph Musokwah, said the situation had not forced any changes in the hospital's mandate to attend to all patients.
"No, no one has had to be turned back," he said, adding too that they have not had to make special accommodation for the suspected drug mules.
Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) officer, Constable Mark Benjamin, said that while he was unaware of a situation of distress at the hospital, it was hard to avoid, as persons who are found to have ingested drugs before boarding flights are usually sent to the nearest hospital for attention.
"The normal procedure is that the doctor carries out his examination, they are given a laxative to pass out the drugs, and afterwards the doctor's findings are made public," Constable Benjamin said. "They are not taken there wantonly or randomly, usually the case is intelligence driven."
They are released from hospital as soon as all the drugs are passed, he said. "The problem may arise if the drugs were not in a body cavity but say in the stomach and it should burst and complication sets in," he explained.
Meanwhile, Senior Superinten-dent of the Narcotics Division, Carl Williams, said that the exercise is also having a negative effect on the Force.
"Since this week (last week) we have had 12 persons already being admitted for drug ingestion," he said.
He explained that the process of passing out the drugs after the laxative is given can take anywhere from one to four or five days, "and during that time they must be under police guard. Usually we have to assign a number of police officers per prisoner."
He explained that the situation was particularly taxing with sometimes up to six persons intercepted in one night. The CCN reports too that the number of packages ingested by any one individual has also been growing at an alarming rate with the record standing at 147 pellets for one convict.
