LESS THAN a week after the deadly attempt at a prison break at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, the island's major public hospital has seen a fatal breach of security at another government institution.
This time the battle-scarred Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) has been the stage of the gun killing of a woman fleeing to reach what she probably presumed would be safe haven. But that presumption could not be justified given the history of the KPH, which has seen more violence than its role as a healing facility would suggest. Security breaches at the KPH peaked in October 2000 when a police post was installed after an invasion by gunmen to grab a fugitive drug don being treated there. During the operation, a JDF soldier was shot and injured and his weapon stolen. A year later, during another invasion by gunmen three persons were shot dead, including a district constable, a patient, and his sister who had gone to visit.
The Tower Street prison has its own notoriety generated from within the walls; but the KPH is sited in the midst of one of the more volatile sections of the Corporate Area; and it has catered to many victims of violence and trauma over the years. But not even the private security service employed along with the police post has made a difference to the number of incidents which strain the resources of the hospital.
Some years ago, the security perimeter was tightened with iron gates which closed off the approaches to the main entrance from North Street in downtown Kingston. Even with that enhanced security infrastructure, private security guards and a constant police presence could not prevent the Tuesday night killing of a woman in flight from gunmen.
It would be impractical to contemplate relocating this historic institution from its site in the midst of a violence-prone area with ready access to the emergency services it has to provide from conflicts so frequent in the environs. At least one patient has had his throat slashed by 'visitors'; and a number of prisoners have escaped from the hospital.
The Ministry of Health and the security forces must move to reinforce the existing apparatus to make it more secure and appropriate to its function as one of the island's major health and healing institutions.
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