K'bu Nurses Stage Demo

NURSES AT Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) living at the Reindorf Avenue Nurses Flats last Friday staged a peaceful demonstration to register their protest against the hospital management's inability to provide security at their residence.

According to the nurses, their flats have for the past one month become a haven for armed robbers who constantly attack and harm them.

They said several attempts to get hospital authorities to provide them with security have been unsuccessful hence the demonstration.

Clad in their uniforms and wearing red bands, the nurses numbering about 100 wielded placards some of which read  'KBTH Administration, do you want nurses to be shot dead before you act?' 'No protection no work' and 'We need security at the flats.'

The nurses marched from their residence to the hospital's administration block where they had a closed door meeting with KBTH Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mustapha Salifu, Prof Afua Hesse, a member of the hospital's board and two members of the administrative staff whose names were not made available.

Alice Afi Adjormadoh, a leader of the group told DAILY GUIDE armed robbers had been attacking nurses at the Reindorf Avenue Nurses flats for some time now.

She said most of them have to make the journey from their homes to the hospital which is about 500 meters away on foot.

She added that they do this during all shifts-morning through to afternoon and night and it is during these times that the robbers attack them.

'Our lives are in danger because these robbers attack us in broad daylight and at night and this has resulted in a nurse being hospitalized.'

Mrs. Adjormadoh further explained that on Easter Saturday April 7, 2012, two armed robbers attacked a woman  at about 2:30pm.

She said the two men who were using a motorbike demanded her handbag which she said contained her voter's ID card and other valuables.

She stated that a nurse raised an alarm and the suspected robbers tried to flee from the scene, but one of  them was severely beaten by residents in the area who had had enough of the attacks.

The Korle-Bu police later came to the scene and took the suspect away.

According to Mrs. Adjormadoh, the poor lighting system in the area has also contributed to the situation saying most parts had no streetlights.

She said the nurses were requesting among other things that 'there should be uniform distribution of available security personnel to protect all health workers and their families resident at the hospitals; there should be immediate deployment of security personnel to the Reindorf Avenue Nurses Flats 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays.'

They also requested that 'management should make buses available to convey them to and from work on all days not excluding weekends and holidays; there should be the restoration and installation of all streetlights within the nurses' quarters to the main Kaneshie station.'

Briefing the paper after the meeting, Mr. Salifu disclosed that 24-hour security patrol will be enforced within the flats.

He said the hospital had started replacing faulty street lights and assured the nurses the hospital authorities will do their best to protect them.

By Esther Awuah