Disrespected and endangered hospital employees

I know a young lady who sacrificed and studied for many years and gained her hard-earned medical degree. She was accepted to work at a Type A hospital. Young doctors are made to feel that their services are invaluable and that they will make a significant difference in the lives of all the patients that they serve.

Written somewhere is the stipulation that she must reside on the compound. She assumes that the living quarters must therefore be of a high quality and very secure. After all, she is an 'essential worker' who is required to provide services at odd hours and late at nights.

She was appalled when she finally got to her assigned quarters. It was bordered on one side by a chain-link perimeter fence that has several, large and very visible breaches in it. She understands that on the other side of that fence - very proximal to the assigned place that she must be domiciled - is a squatter community teeming with all and sundry.

At nights, the area leading to her door is dark and unguarded. She is constantly under the watchful gaze of the occupants of the squatter community, so she finds herself hurriedly struggling with her keys to unlock the grill and then the door to get inside quickly.

Inside, the place is dingy, dank, dishevelled and dilapidated. The kitchen sink is so badly stained with blood-red rust and calcium deposits that it is unredeemable. The stove needs to be replaced, and the refrigerator is not far behind. Laundry facilities do not exist. Conditions are reminiscent of a rustic cabin in the woods in urgent need of repair and upgrade.

She is by no means unique. Other members of staff are subjected to similar living conditions. The young doctor started her career wondering how the powers that be could keep mandatory living quarters in such a state of disrepair and expose her to potential harm.

OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

How can a government expect her to perform optimally in a job that requires precision, clarity of thought, sustained concentration and superb stamina under very adverse conditions? What does this say about how much doctors are truly valued? How can a government expect them to work long and arduous hours saving lives, and then rest up in such disgraceful and unsafe domiciles?

She was very wary of the poor security and resultant dangers of having individuals from the squatter community with free access to the compound and within easy striking distance of her living quarters. The security guard is not ubiquitous and the lighting is abysmal.

Her fears were realised when, while traversing the precincts of her quarters, a young man from the squatter community made her a victim of robbery. She lost everything that was in her handbag to a stupid criminal who foolishly preys with impunity on those who help people just like him.

After the robbery, she was informed that the routine is to request a security escort to and from the room. She also learnt that the spot where she was robbed is a well-known 'hot spot' for crimes, yet it remains unguarded and poorly lit.

The efficiency of our young doctors employed to that Ministry of Health Type A hospital will certainly be compromised because of those demoralising living conditions. Additionally, the urgency of patient care is also compromised because of the need to request and wait for a security escort from certain areas of the hospital compound.

I wonder when the criminal elements next door will graduate to raping and possibly murdering our dedicated and invaluable healthcare workers. Will something be done about the existing conditions then? Where is the political will to appropriately deal with squatter communities and in particular, with the atrocious lack of security that exists there?

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com