The Hospital

by J.J. Lewsac

As a parent of two small children, there safety is always my number one concern. It has been since day one. I imagine most parents feel the same way. You can call it “the parenting gene”, or just part of being a responsible adult, but a parent always wants to know where there children are, and that they are safe. Especially when they are most vulnerable in those first few days of a child’s life. I came across a story about Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingstown, Jamaica, that i found extremely troubling.

According to the story, last week a mentally ill patient, infect with HIV/AIDS, was found in the hospitals nursery, breastfeeding another woman’s week-old newborn. The patient was apparently at the hospital getting ready to give birth to her own child, which took place  later that day. A nurse spotted the incident and intervened, but the damage may have already been done, though doctors say there is only a ”very, very slim chance” of the baby contracting HIV from the brief encounter. Slim chance or not, I would be absolutely livid that a hospital didnt have the security in place to prevent such an incident from ever happening.

Since the incident, the hospital has announced plans to install surveillance cameras. ”We are going to put CCTV cameras inside the nursery and it is going to have multiple uses. It is going to be used to ensuring [proper interaction] between mother and child and nurses and the child,” said Shirley. “It will also ensure that [babies] are given the required attention.” said Lyttleton Shirley, who chairs the board of the South East Regional Health Authority. They have also announced plans to install similar systems across all hospitals on the island.

Parents, or even prospective parents should select their healthcare provider carefully. Most reputable hospitals already have surveillance cameras, and security procedures to keep people away from areas they should not have access to. Be sure to ask about the security features in place at your local hospital. Many hospitals offer tours to pregnant couples to give them peace of mind about the institution that will be caring for them and their newborn.

There is more to keeping your family safe and secure than just protecting them at home. Take the necessary precautions to make sure nothing like the above story ever happens to your family.