NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe yesterday said the government does not anticipate placing additional defense force officers at public clinics and hospitals at this time following a knife attack of a patient at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).
Munroe suggested that deploying additional armed responders at the institution and other public facilities may not prevent people from committing unlawful acts.
A male patient being treated in PMH’s trauma area was attacked by another male patient with a knife around 1am on Saturday.
Emergency department staff, the defense force, and hospital security personnel restrained the attacker.
Two knives were confiscated.
No other patients or staff were injured during the incident.
This week, the Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) and its umbrella union have called for increased security protocols and personnel following the incident and expressed grave concerns for the safety and security of personnel at the institution.
Yesterday, Munroe said he met with the umbrella union, the Trade Union Congress, and the nurses union president Amancha Williams.
He advised the media that security of PMH, which falls under the purview of the PHA, includes a static defense force officer, whose primary role is to provide an armed response to incidents
“That should tell you that even if you have a static guard that is not a guarantee that people won’t act unlawfully,” he said before the weekly Cabinet meeting.
“In terms of manpower to put static guards at every clinic, that is something that is not anticipated at the moment.
“The Public Hospitals Authority has the responsibility for ensuring security at its facility.
“The Princess Margaret Hospital’s static guard is for when persons come in who are the victims of gunshots and that type of thing where you could suspect that there may be people following on after – to have an armed response to that.”
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