THE security forces have beefed up personnel at the Kingston Public and Victoria Jubilee hospitals in order to keep the facilities safe in the event of civil unrest as they move to arrest reputed Tivoli Gardens don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
In a release to the media Health Minister Rudy Spencer said the safety of health workers is of paramount importance.
“The welfare of our staff is our number one concern and so we are going to be acting swiftly and doing all we can to make improvements in the area of security,” Spencer said.
This morning some hospital staff were transported to and from work by the security forces.
On Tuesday a police armoured personnel carrier was shot up after officers attempted to clear a roadblock in Denham Town — a community which lies behind the hospitals.
The police will increase their patrols around the hospitals and continue to provide escort services to persons leaving the facilities.
The police say they have established safe corridors for travel to and from the hospitals and have made provisions for persons responding to emergencies late at night.