[ad_1]
The Ministry of Health has asked the public to respect medical staff in hospitals and clinics following an incident at the Southern Regional Hospital two days ago. Dr. Jorge Polanco, director of hospital services, explained that relatives of a patient came to the hospital’s emergency room to visit their loved one but were denied entry. The relatives became aggressive and said they wanted to see their loved one even if they had to break down the door. Polanco said that someone did damage a door during the incident; however, the severity of the incident was somewhat exaggerated by the level of tension reported by some media.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Director of Hospital Services: “Security locked the door and wouldn’t let them into the treatment room because they were busy at the time. A few minutes later, about thirty minutes later, there were reports that they were knocking on the door, they didn’t see who it was but they heard it and they heard a woman screaming that she wanted to get in and if she wasn’t allowed in she would get in and she would do it even if it meant pushing the door down. That’s what the staff heard. However, there was a door there that had one hinge that was not secured properly and when the door was knocked open, the nails fell off and then the door was crooked. Some people who were there and witnessed this put the door back in place and they fixed it. However, I believe someone took a picture at the time and that picture was sent out and people were sharing that there was no security, there was no safety and that their relatives had damaged that door. I must say that I spoke to someone who was there not too long ago and she claimed to be a relative and the account she gave was that in fact, the media or the people who were sharing the information with the media were exaggerating the facts because the people who were accompanying the patient were the ones who helped put the door back in place. So it was really interesting to see how this information was spread and given a negative tone.”
Police were called in to calm the situation, which ended without further disruption to health services, Polanco said, noting the health ministry was concerned because there appeared to be a growing trend of people flooding hospitals and attacking medical staff.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Director of Hospital Services: “Of course, it’s concerning because we have people who could be in danger, they could be very hostile in their words and actions, and if you don’t have confidence in the identity of these people who are under the influence of alcohol, a lot of things can happen. Paramedics could get hurt, they could get physically assaulted, and that’s not really the best situation. As you know, these are open areas, and once you enter the gate or you’re in the lobby and someone opens the door to go out or opens the door to let someone in, anyone can come in, even though there are security guards there. Because in this case, there was a security guard, but at the time he had gone in to help accommodate the injured person. While they were in there, some nurse or someone I’m not sure who went out and closed the door, not knowing that a few minutes later, friends would want to come in. So, it’s a plea to the whole community to really respect the paramedics who are there doing their job.”
Dr. Polan reminded that in addition to respecting medical staff doing their job, hospital visitors also need to be aware that other patients are also being treated next to their loved ones and have a right to privacy.
[ad_2]
Source link
