Tonight, there is a robust, almost frenzied response from police and the government after 7News last night exposed the terrifying events that unfolded 10 days ago at the San Ignacio Hospital.
Jules Vasquez has the recap of the response to our report:
On the night of Saturday June first medical staff inside the San Ignacio Community Hospital were threatened and terrorized by gang affiliated persons who demanded that gang figure David Galindo was treated urgently:
Voice of: Medical Practitioner
"When I came out and they pointed at me and they tell me, You better save this bally life, if this bally dead all a unu gwen dead up."
On Monday June third, the still shaken staff called a meeting to discuss the events of the traumatic night. The voice recording emanates from that meeting. Their Chief of Staff Juan Carlos Sabido - who is the CEO Julio Sabido's brother - was invited but showed up late - before this was said about Saturday night's immediate aftermath:
Voice of: Medical Practitioner
"We informed our Chief of Staff, nobody showed up. We ended off our shift, and nobody showed up."
On Tuesday another meeting was held - this one with the Ministry of Health higher ups.
But, everything was swept under the rug. No public announcement was made, nothing changed - except maybe the glass window on this door which one of the gangsters had punched out.
So, pretty much, everyone pretended as if nothing major happened - that is until our report last night:
Indira Craig,
Tonight you'll hear a harrowing first hand account of the night that a Santa Elena gang terrorized the San Ignacio Community Hospital.
After that story aired, the Commissioner hurriedly set up a meeting with the staff:
Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams
"I was the one who suggested that we have a meeting and arrange a meeting with the authorities from the San Ignacio community hospital so I will be meeting with them this afternoon at 2:00 in San Ignacio. And again the purpose is for us to be able to look at what their concerns are and what protocol we can develop moving forward to ensure that there is no reoccurrence of what actually took place on June 1st."
June first, that's 10 days ago - and Cabinet also pretended that it just got the memo -issuing a breathless and self serving release at midday today:
"The entire Cabinet shares the outrage of the Belizean people at the incident which occurred at the San Ignacio Community Hospital on June 1. Cabinet is grateful that medical practitioners, staff and patients were not harmed by those criminal elements who stormed the facility. Decisive action has been taken."
Decisive - even if delayed - and that includes, quote, "escalation of the operation to round up not only those persons who participated in the attack on our medical facility and staff, but ALL gang elements operating in San Ignacio and Santa Elena….(and) that teams from the Ministry of Health & Wellness, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, conduct an immediate assessment of security protocols at the San Ignacio Community Hospital and all public health facilities. The safety of medical practitioners, staff and patients MUST be always assured."
Suddenly seized by urgency and hopefully that includes putting a lock on the door of the trauma room:
Voice of: Medical Practitioner
"They were barging in trauma room, pushing in the trauma room. We had to be right there holding the trauma room so that we could try prepare this patient. Then he was walking in, walking out cursing up everybody and they don't care about no patient, noddy in there."
