Searches, scans start at St Philip clinic after assault on nurse

By Emmanuel Joseph

Authorities made good on their promises to tighten security at the St Philip Polyclinic on Tuesday, five days after a man pulled a knife on a nurse as she was carrying out her duties at the Six Roads healthcare facility.

On the same day that Tical Romario Smith of Gemswick, St Philip admitted in court to assaulting the nurse, three security officers from the private firm of Phoenix Protective Services conducted searches of people entering the clinic.

There were some delays initially, with crowds of patients standing outside the building. However, as the day wore on, Barbados TODAY observed a steady and freer flow of patients as the two female and one male guard, under the watchful eye of supervisor Lawrence Harris, continued their checks with the help of walk-through and hand-held metal detectors.

“We are using walk-through scanners and as a backup, we are using hand-held in case there is a detection going through the walk-through scanner,” Harris explained. “So far, so good seeing that today is the first day of the new security protocols.”

Also observing the new security measures was National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond who declared satisfaction with the new process.

He told Barbados TODAY: “The arrangement from Friday was that the union and the staff would seek to ensure first, before work commenced today, that the security arrangements are in place. We are satisfied that certain measures promised had been put in place . . . .At this point, we will continue to monitor the situation to make sure that any other issues coming up about security are addressed and that workers are comfortable. As we came in this morning, we saw nursing personnel on the job.”

Haigh Communications Inc., the public relations firm representing the Ministry of Health, reported that everyone who entered the doors of the clinic was seen by medical professionals.

“You would see an increase because on Friday the polyclinic was closed, then there was the long weekend,” CEO Joy-Ann Haigh told Barbados TODAY. “But normally you would always see an increase in patients at any polyclinic after a bank holiday. So, this is an accumulation of those days. So, this is more like the exception than the rule as it pertains to the amount of people.

“But I can tell you that nurses are at work, the doctors are at work and the security measures are in place and they are managing quite well. Any absence today by one or two persons has not impacted the ability of the medical team to do their job of saving lives.”

Most people attending the clinic who spoke to Barbados TODAY welcomed the new security measures.

But one young man suggested that at least one of the officers should be armed, “just in case somebody decided to get stupid and do something violent”.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb