Dominica Ministry Concern About Growing Attacks on Health Workers

Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – The Ministry of Health said Monday it was “alarmed” over the growing number of attacks against health care providers in Dominica.

Last year nurses here staged a small protest in the capital, Roseau, to call for 24-hour security at hospitals following an attack on a nurse at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

But according to the director of primary health care, Dr Griffin Benjamin, the number of attacks against health workers has increased since that incident.

“We are becoming alarmed at the increasing number of attacks that are meted out against healthcare workers in Dominica,” he said.

“Over the last year we can speak about an attack on a worker in Roseau, in the town of Portsmouth and we have had numerous attacks on workers at the psychiatric unit.”

The latest incident occurred over the weekend when a nurse delivering a child was punched in the face by the unborn child’s father.

The nurse suffered a fracture to her nose and swelling to her head and is now recovering at the hospital.

“The ministry of health has taken the opportunity to inform the public that this is a behaviour that is unacceptable,” Dr Benjamin said.

The office of the director of primary health care has also expressed disappointment with the response of the police to the incident.

Dr Benjamin called on the authorities to put measures in place to ensure that there are no further incidents.

Originally published by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website, Bridgetown, in English 1930 26 May 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Americas. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.