WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-02-05 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
By Shaun Smillie
Five months after a medical student was raped at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, staff still fear for their safety.
And even the hospital authorities admit they have a security problem.
Theft is rampant, cars are stolen from the hospital grounds and security guards are not doing their job properly – this after security was upgraded just a month ago.
| ‘Anyone can walk in and just say they are visiting’ |
These are some of the complaints by staff.
The situation is compounded by the fact that even the hospital administration recognises the problem and claims to be attempting to rectify it.
According to Bara CEO Dr Arthur Manning, “the present company has not performed to our expectations and has been given notice of the termination of its services.
“Since then we have experienced further problems with service delivery, and deal with these on a daily basis.”
Manning said financial penalties were applied and the present company – KK Security Services, operating at Bara for about two years – would leave as soon as the new company took over.
| ‘Someone even stole my lunch’ |
It would appear the final straw for one staff member came three weeks ago when two cars were stolen from a parking lot and a third was broken into. All this took place in a single night.
The staffer said one of the cars was stolen just metres from where a security guard was supposed to have been posted.
It was later found that the CCTV camera which could have helped to catch the thieves wasn’t working that night.
Manning said a new CCTV system would be installed by the new contractor.
The staff member was so frustrated by the lack of security at the provincial hospital, she decided to invite The Star to take a look at the situation.
We arrived at the hospital on a weekday just before 7pm, unhindered by security staff.
A guard simply waved us through – we didn’t even stop. No questions were asked.
According to our staffer-turned-guide, this is the norm – particularly at night. A doctor added that the problem with security was at entry points.
“Anyone can walk in and just say they are visiting,” he said.
Bara at night becomes a desolate place, and few people walk in the grounds.
It seemed to us that there were even fewer guards at that time.
“When we move between buildings we are supposed to have a security escort, but often they don’t arrive or you have to wait 40 minutes – sometimes even an hour.
“The problem is that we can be called out to resuscitate a patient and we haven’t got time to wait for a guard. We have to put the patient’s life before our safety,” the staffer said.
Another staff member said that at night female staff members were not allowed to leave the wards on their own.
We walked the route from the maternity ward to the blood bank – the quiet section where a medical student was raped in July.
It is a round trip that probably takes about 15 minutes, with most of the walk along a roofed pathway.
We saw only two guards.
The first was stationed about 200m away, and he didn’t appear to notice our photographer taking pictures.
We walked straight past the second guard on the walkway. Even though we didn’t look like doctors or nurses, he never asked who we were.
“This is not unusual,” our guide commented.
We found none of the wooden guard huts in the ground manned.
Yet, said Manning, 47 guards patrolled the hospital grounds day and night in various areas.
A courier service had been introduced to collect blood products from the bank so that students no longer needed to walk the route themselves.
As we were walking around the hospital grounds, a car pulled up.
The driver said one of the passengers had been hit by a car and they were looking for a doctor. It was another security breach – one that could have cost a life.
“Security at the gate should have told them and directed them to casualty,” said the staffer.
And the lapses continued even as we left the hospital – proper procedure wasn’t carried out, although a guard asked for the boot to be opened and then told us to go.
He didn’t check the car’s ignition. Said Manning later: “He was supposed to ask you to turn the ignition on and off, which would indicate if the car was stolen.”
While there have been complaints about security, members of staff also highlighted some of the improvements.
“Lighting has improved and security is good in the wards,” said the staffer.
A doctor said security had improved in the trauma unit, and that just the other day, security personnel had handled a potentially dangerous incident successfully in trauma.
Manning also said security had stopped a suspected car thief on Tuesday.
But, commented the staffer: “In the wards there is a problem with theft; you can’t leave a cellphone unattended.
“The other day, someone even stole my lunch.”