Hospital ‘under siege’

THE near-death experience of a young medical doctor on the premises of the Windhoek Central Hospital yesterday morning has interns up in arms about the poor security measures at the State’s two main health facilities.

Hospital staff say they are living in fear, with one senior staff member going as as far saying: “At the moment, we are under siege at this hospital”. Yesterday, the intern who was attacked, 30-year-old Dr John Kamara from Sierra Leone, showed The Namibian the spot along the private service road between the two hospitals where he was attacked.”They were going to kill me.One of them said: ‘Let’s kill him’.I just prayed.I’m very lucky,” said Kamara, when he showed The Namibian where he was set upon.He was attacked at a spot along the private service road between the two hospitals.This incident is just the tip of the iceberg for interns, who say that the security at their living quarters on the hospital premises is virtually non-existent.Besides the security officials, the entrances of both hospitals are guarded by the Special Field Force.Kamara was called out just after 03h00 to administer anaesthesia for an emergency Caesarean section at the Katutura State Hospital.Leaving his flat near the Central Hospital, he noticed a vehicle bearing a Usakos registration travelling in the opposite direction along the service road.Changing direction, the vehicle followed him and tried to force him off the road.Kamara recalls making a U-turn near the hospital petrol station to return to the Central Hospital, but lost control of his car at a T-junction close to the laundry and morgue.He drove up the pavement, stopped his car in the bushes and tried to flee.His four assailants caught up with him at the entrance gate to the morgue.He was knocked to the ground, hit his head on the kerbstone and lost consciousness for a short while.Kamara was threatened and beaten up, while a security guard, he said, watched them.He says he was repeatedly told that they were going to kill him.The attackers eventually fled, taking only his cell phone with them.Kamara had no money on him and he suspects his car was not stolen because it is imported and could be easily spotted.With his head gashed open and cuts to both his arms, he drove to the Katutura State Hospital where another doctor had to be called to take over his duty.The security functions at both hospitals are outsourced under a three-year contract that ends in September.On Wednesday night, a flat at the intern quarters was broken into – making it the fourth break-in so far this year.Computers, clothes and other household items have been stolen while the block is supposedly protected by four security guards.Last week, the communal kitchens were raided and kitchenware and food were stolen.”We have a bit of a problem communicating with them [the security].They get upset when we wake them up.If I come back from a call at two or three in the morning, they are asleep,” said Dr Adolf Kaura, Vice Chairman of the interns.The group’s Chairperson, Dr Tanya Wantenaar, said: “If I’m on call tonight, I will be too scared to drive between the two hospitals.The peace of mind is just not there.While we serve the Namibian nation, we get robbed of all our possessions”.Yesterday, they raised the grievances of about 18 interns with the acting Superintendent of the Central Hospital, Dr Andreas Obholzer.He said it could not be denied that the hospital’s security system was not up to scratch.Taxis, he said, used the service road as a short cut.The road runs through Windhoek West, across Mahatma Gandhi Road and the Western Bypass.Obholzer said security officials at the three entrances did not prohibit public vehicles from using it.Meanwhile pedestrians enter through the numerous gaping holes in the fence along the entire route.”At the moment, we are under siege at this hospital.If they [the staff] can’t feel safe, they can’t perform and deliver their service to the public.Doctors’ work performance is affected,” he said.Staff suspect that the security guards could be involved in the break-ins, as they seem to occur only at flats of staff on duty.”The security is not adequate to protect the property of Government and the tenants who live on the property at the Windhoek Central Hospital.We rely on these doctors to provide a service to the people”.But with the casualty unit of the Katutura Hospital now shifted to the Central Hospital while renovations are under way, Obholzer says it has become difficult to control the large volume of traffic moving through the hospital.Numerous attempts by The Namibian to contact managers of the security company proved futile.However, The Namibian understands that the company has agreed to a meeting with the hospital on Monday to discuss the concerns and reimburse interns for items stolen from them during the past few weeks.Yesterday, the intern who was attacked, 30-year-old Dr John Kamara from Sierra Leone, showed The Namibian the spot along the private service road between the two hospitals where he was attacked. “They were going to kill me. One of them said: ‘Let’s kill him’. I just prayed. I’m very lucky,” said Kamara, when he showed The Namibian where he was set upon. He was attacked at a spot along the private service road between the two hospitals. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg for interns, who say that the security at their living quarters on the hospital premises is virtually non-existent. Besides the security officials, the entrances of both hospitals are guarded by the Special Field Force. Kamara was called out just after 03h00 to administer anaesthesia for an emergency Caesarean section at the Katutura State Hospital. Leaving his flat near the Central Hospital, he noticed a vehicle bearing a Usakos registration travelling in the opposite direction along the service road. Changing direction, the vehicle followed him and tried to force him off the road. Kamara recalls making a U-turn near the hospital petrol station to return to the Central Hospital, but lost control of his car at a T-junction close to the laundry and morgue. He drove up the pavement, stopped his car in the bushes and tried to flee. His four assailants caught up with him at the entrance gate to the morgue. He was knocked to the ground, hit his head on the kerbstone and lost consciousness for a short while. Kamara was threatened and beaten up, while a security guard, he said, watched them. He says he was repeatedly told that they were going to kill him. The attackers eventually fled, taking only his cell phone with them. Kamara had no money on him and he suspects his car was not stolen because it is imported and could be easily spotted. With his head gashed open and cuts to both his arms, he drove to the Katutura State Hospital where another doctor had to be called to take over his duty. The security functions at both hospitals are outsourced under a three-year contract that ends in September. On Wednesday night, a flat at the intern quarters was broken into – making it the fourth break-in so far this year. Computers, clothes and other household items have been stolen while the block is supposedly protected by four security guards. Last week, the communal kitchens were raided and kitchenware and food were stolen. “We have a bit of a problem communicating with them [the security]. They get upset when we wake them up. If I come back from a call at two or three in the morning, they are asleep,” said Dr Adolf Kaura, Vice Chairman of the interns. The group’s Chairperson, Dr Tanya Wantenaar, said: “If I’m on call tonight, I will be too scared to drive between the two hospitals. The peace of mind is just not there. While we serve the Namibian nation, we get robbed of all our possessions”. Yesterday, they raised the grievances of about 18 interns with the acting Superintendent of the Central Hospital, Dr Andreas Obholzer. He said it could not be denied that the hospital’s security system was not up to scratch. Taxis, he said, used the service road as a short cut. The road runs through Windhoek West, across Mahatma Gandhi Road and the Western Bypass. Obholzer said securi
ty officials at the three entrances did not prohibit public vehicles from using it. Meanwhile pedestrians enter through the numerous gaping holes in the fence along the entire route. “At the moment, we are under siege at this hospital. If they [the staff] can’t feel safe, they can’t perform and deliver their service to the public. Doctors’ work performance is affected,” he said. Staff suspect that the security guards could be involved in the break-ins, as they seem to occur only at flats of staff on duty. “The security is not adequate to protect the property of Government and the tenants who live on the property at the Windhoek Central Hospital. We rely on these doctors to provide a service to the people”. But with the casualty unit of the Katutura Hospital now shifted to the Central Hospital while renovations are under way, Obholzer says it has become difficult to control the large volume of traffic moving through the hospital. Numerous attempts by The Namibian to contact managers of the security company proved futile. However, The Namibian understands that the company has agreed to a meeting with the hospital on Monday to discuss the concerns and reimburse interns for items stolen from them during the past few weeks.