by Emmanuel Joseph
The St Philip Polyclinic at Six Roads is to implement searches and scans of all visitors from Tuesday in the first phase of a comprehensive security plan for all clinics after a knife-wielding man threatened a nurse, the privately-owned communications firm representing the Ministry of Health and Wellness has revealed.
Chief Executive Officer of Haigh Communications Inc., Joy-Ann Haigh, said on Friday the decision to boost security at the polyclinic was based on feedback from staff after their union reported a threat on a nurse’s life on Thursday by a man wielding a knife.
Barbados Police Service spokesman Inspector Rodney Inniss confirmed a search was underway for the suspect.
“The matter was reported to us at around 9:18 [Thursday] morning from the St Philip Polyclinic – a nurse dealing with a child, that the father threatened her on the job,” Inspector Inniss told Barbados TODAY.
“She said she saw him with a knife. We have the matter under investigation. The woman was asked to identify the man but she couldn’t because he had apparently left, so we have it under investigation to pick him up.”
Haigh disclosed that preparatory work was already underway to have heightened security measures in place after the Errol Barrow Day bank holiday to make staff feel more secure.
“[The staff] shared that with the ministry and in turn, we shared that with the permanent secretary who immediately put the heightened security measures in place, which started today in terms of preliminary work – checks with the security firm – and on Tuesday, everything will be in place,” said the spokeswoman.
A private security company is to have two of its officers – a male and a female – stationed at the polyclinic to supplement the government security guard, Haigh said.
“It’s a private firm that they [ministry] will be utilising until the long-term security measure,” she told Barbados TODAY. “This is the immediate measure. The private security firm will be using scanners and so on. People will now, at this particular polyclinic . . . can now expect to meet the security first upon entry, which would obviously entail checking of bags . . . to make sure no one is walking in there with anything that can be harmful to themselves or to anyone.
“We are going to put some scanners in place. At the moment they would just be hand-held. We are looking at introducing walk-through scanners, but on Sunday we will meet at nine o’clock to put these things in place. Now this is to make sure that everything is being measured up… – what we call the prep work – is done [Friday].”
Haigh said that wider plans would be implemented at polyclinics across the island over time.
“So, even though, yes, St Philip Polyclinic will get the immediate attention, the other polyclinics will be reviewed, and similar measures would have to be put in place,” she explained.
The traumatised staff nurse had to undergo counselling following her ordeal and the Barbados Nurses’ Association (BNA) and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) expressed outrage at the incident.
The incident forced the closure of the polyclinic, and both the BNA and NUPW have told the nurse and other staff they should not return to the polyclinic until security measures are put in place.NUPW Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond said the union could not condone attacks on healthcare workers under any circumstances, adding that he has received a commitment from the Ministry of Health to improve security in short order.
“This type of action, we condemn,” he said in a statement following discussions at the clinic on Friday with the clinic’s staff. “We cannot have members of the public, even if they are aggrieved with long waits or for reasons otherwise, threatening healthcare professionals who are there to serve in terms of providing healthcare.
“We. . . have made representation to the Ministry of Health to have security enhanced. Officials of the ministry would have met with the staff and the NUPW in making a commitment to have enhanced security addressed. The ministry has also provided counselling for all staff [Friday] and the polyclinic is closed.”
“The polyclinic will reopen on Tuesday with the expectation that adequate security will be in place,” he later told Barbados TODAY.
The union has pledged to monitor the situation to ensure that all “proactive measures” are put in place to address the safety, health and well-being of all healthcare professionals at the St Philip Polyclinic and across the board.
The BNA said in a statement: “Violent incidents like this have been happening too often, with no structured response, support for the nurses or policies to prevent and follow after an incident occurs.“ President Dr Fay Parris described events like these, putting the lives and safety of patients, nurses, doctors and other health professionals at risk, as intolerable and insisted that the authorities put urgent remedies in place.
“We demand that the Government take immediate and effective measures to prevent such incidents from happening again and to ensure a safe and secure working environment for our frontline workers,” she said in a statement issued on Friday.
“The BNA calls for installing metal detectors at all polyclinics and health facilities, as well as increased security personnel and surveillance cameras. We also urge the government to provide adequate mental health support and counselling for our nurses and health professionals who have been traumatised by this or any other violent incident.”
She said the association is also requesting strict policies and penalties against any form of violence or aggression towards nurses and health professionals, who are already under “tremendous” stress and pressure since the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shortages of nurses and doctors.
The BNA expressed solidarity with the nurse who was threatened and with all nurses and health professionals who work “tirelessly and selflessly” to provide “quality” care to the public.
The statement continued: “BNA supports the nurses in their call for the ability to access counselling on Friday . . . with no obligations to work as they seek time to heal. The short-term solution is to have additional security with handheld metal detectors so they can feel safe to return to work and an intensive review of the plant with implemented security recommendations.
“The association strongly recommends thatthis be extended to all polyclinics and healthcare organisations to protect patients, nurses and all healthcare workers against the upsurge of violence that exists in our society today.”
The association also called on the Mia Mottley administration to ratify and implement the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No.190) and its accompanying recommendation (No. 206), which provide a comprehensive framework for preventing and addressing workplace violence and harassment.
It also urged the government to ratify and implement the ILO Nursing PersonnelConvention, 1977 (No.149) and its accompanying recommendation (No.157) which set standards for nurses’ working conditions.
The administration should also ensure adequate occupational safety and health measures are introduced to protect nurses and other health workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act and that they have access to effective remedies and support services in case of violence and harassment, the BNA suggested.
Addressing the public, the BNA called “on all members of the public to stop the verbal and physical abuse of the nurses and healthcare workers who work tirelessly to provide you, your children and your family with the care you need”.
“We will not tolerate any violence or abuse against our members and any nurse. We will continue to advocate for their rights, welfare and dignity,” it contended. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
