Tight security at medical facilities non-negotiable

Letaba Hospital

According to media reports the three doctors were shot and injured – one critically – by a group of five heavily armed men. The critically injured doctor is undergoing surgery.

“Doctors need to be safe in their working environment, or if they are living on hospital premises. Our colleagues cannot continue to be victims of violent crime and we again call on authorities to ensure all medical facilities – and places of residence – are safe and secure,” says Dr Angelique Coetzee, chairperson of Sama.

Coetzee says it’s unacceptable that security at Letaba Hospital was not secure enough to prevent five armed robbers onto the property.

“This incident must serve as a wake-up call to all of us to be vigilant and aware all the times. But it must also send a message to the authorities that the current levels of security are not strong enough and that something must be done about it. Security at medical facilities simply is non-negotiable,” she says.