Workers at the Charlestown Health Centre yesterday staged a “sit-in” to protest the lack of armed guards at the medical facility.
Workers said that they decided to take action as their numerous complaints to senior health officials remain unaddressed. The protest action also comes two days after a patient visiting the clinic was robbed by men who posed as patients.
Stabroek News was told that at around 1pm on Wednesday, a patient, who was waiting to meet with the doctor, was robbed of his valuables.
A worker told Stabroek News that the robbery occurred within seconds. It is suspected that the patient was held at gunpoint since he was in the company of others and no one was able to raise an alarm. The worker recalled that the perpetrators, after entering the clinic, sat among the patients under the pretense of needing medical attention.
After carrying out the act, the men swiftly left the compound and it was at that point that the victim and other patients informed the staff that the man was robbed.
It is unclear whether a report was made to the police. Commander of ‘A’ Division Marlon Chapman, when contacted, said that he was not aware of the robbery and cases such as those would be reported to him.
Given the incident, the workers said that they are calling for a tighter security presence at the health centre.
“We are all females working here. Robberies would have occurred at the Sophia Health Centre three times and robberies occur outside of this compound regularly and we have been calling on the senior ones for better security but nothing has been done to address it,” one worker said. She said that they would like to see armed guards stationed at the health centre.
“One security guard cannot work here. We need someone at the gate and someone upstairs at the clinic. Patients need to be safe and workers also. We will continue to ‘sit in’ until they give what we are asking for,” the woman added.
Word of the industrial action spread yesterday as patients arrived for medical attention and were told that health workers were not working.
“I went to see my doctor today [yesterday] and the workers told me they are not working. I asked why and they said they are having a sit-in,” the patient related.
When Stabroek News reached out to the Ministry of Public Health for a comment, Public Relations Officer Terrence Esseboom said he was not informed of the criminal act committed at the health centre.
