The original article can be found in: Trinidad Express By Renuka Singh
Police were called in to stop an early morning clash between patients and staff at St Ann’s Hospital yesterday.
The North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) subsequently issued a statement that four patients were displaying “threatening and potentially violent behaviour towards staff” on the Forensic Ward (Ward 27) of the hospital. The NWRHA said the ward was 77 per cent occupied and no patients or staff were injured in the incident. The Authority said it would be investigating the matter to avoid any recurrence.
But Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke is calling for the intervention of the Minister of Health Dr Fuad Khan to speed up the investigation. At a media conference yesterday afternoon, Duke said workers would take “affirmative action” if the incident was not properly investigated.
“Violence at St Ann’s is not part of the normal working environment and we want the Minister to look into it. Failure to do that may very well cause the PSA to take action in defence of workers,” he said.Duke said he learnt that buckets of collected human waste were thrown on staff members and said workers were concerned about returning to work.
“The buckets were stored and used as deterrents against the employees who sought to quell the matter,” he said.
Duke said he learned that members of the ousted PSA faction were on duty at the time of the incident.
He said the Minister should investigate who was on duty at the time of the incident to be sure that the patients were being supervised by responsible people.
“Known trouble makers to the PSA—persons who would from time to time come on the steps of the PSA and engage in acts of violence—were also on duty,” he said.
