Joseph Lewis, Gleaner Writer

THE BLARING siren arrested everyone's attention. As the marked Suzuki Grand Vitara drove up and stopped outside the doors of the accident and emergency area at the Kingston Public Hospital, a porter came rushing through the doors with a wheelchair to assist the female police officer remove a gunshot victim from the vehicle.

"Is what happen to him officer?" shouted another porter, as he too tried to assist with the removal of the man from the vehicle.

By then, a large crowd converged on the scene to get a closer look at what was happening. There was murmuring and speculation from a few curious onlookers who gathered. This was one of several cases that came into the hospital within two hours. About half an hour later, the siren could be heard again from a distance, heading towards the hospital. This time it was an ambulance.

No break

A few doctors and nurses came out and began attending to the patient in the the ambulance. Ten minutes later, another ambulance came in with a patient, this time an accident victim. It was a little boy with a broken foot. When the porter tried to remove him from the vehicle that took him there, he groaned loudly. It was obvious that he was in a lot of pain.

After another couple of minutes, a lady shouted out from inside the waiting area: "Mi caan tek them place yah you know man. Them tek too long to deal wid people."

Obviously, she had been awaiting attention.

In response, another woman shouted, "These people don't have any patience. They expect to get through as they come in."

"You people need to follow instructions," said a uniformed nurse. "If you follow my instructions, you will get through much easier."

"Every day down here busy. Can you imagine all next month when it free?" said a security guard, talking to her colleague.

Security measure in place

At this time, the Casualty Department was buzzing with excitement. "Nurse, come look pon this yute nuh, unnu nuh si him in pain."

She was referring to a young man lying on a bench in the waiting area.

It was very amazing to see how the security guard operates at the entrance. "Do you have any weapon?" she said to a young man. No, he replied, but she went on to search him anyway.

She checked his pockets, after which she used a metal detector to scan his body.

Even though it was amazing to see how security personnel operate, it was a relief to know they had proper security measures in place at the hospital.

"I think the system can work if only people adhere to the rules," said a lady who was talking to a friend.

Within another five minutes, a man turned up with a stab wound to the shoulder. He was quickly rushed to the emergency room for treatment.

Just another busy day at the Kingston Public Hospital.