In Harper, Maryland County ‘s private guards at the James Jenkins Dossen Memorial Hospital reportedly held administrators and guests (health experts) hostage, preventing them from coming out, as well as denying members of the public from having access to the facilities for treatment during the course of last week.
Vehicles, including ambulances belonging to the hospital and that of the guests, were also prevented entering or leaving the premises, besides critical cases, as personnel of a private security service carried out a strike action, demanding for their 5 months’ salary arrears, owed them by the hospital since March of this year.
Until press time early this week, it was not known whether the situation had been resolved or still ongoing, as every effort to reach the local authorities, including Superintendent, George Prowd, and others like the police, to know whether they made any intervention or not, did not materialize.
State-owned broadcaster (ELBC) said last Friday, September 1, that the guards began their protest on Thursday, August 31, demanding for their 5 months’ salary arrears, and it continued to the next day (Friday), September 1 in Harper, Maryland County.
The report said the guards took decision following numerous communications between them and the hospital’s administration, reminding them of their obligation since March of this year, but all fell on deaf ears; therefore, they had no other alternative but to take the law into their own hands.
The guards noted that a contractual agreement with the hospital was signed from the past regime and that has not been canceled, as the administration is obligated to them in several hundred thousands of Liberian Dollars; in spite of that, they continued to provide protection to the facilities.
The guards told the local media in Harper, Maryland County, that the hospital administration is in arrears with each one of them, either in L$140,000; L$130,000; L$120,000; L$100,000; L$75, 000; L$65,000 or more, for the past 5 months.
However, efforts made to ascertain the hospital’s side of the story, through mobile phone, proved futile, as those spoken to did not want to officially comment on the situation, but one source inside the hospital confirmed the incident, describing same as an “embarrassment” in the face of international guests (health experts) present at the facilities, holding a meeting when the guards took the action.
The source stated, among many things, that indeed the hospital is fully owing the guards for months, amounting to thousands of Liberian Dollars, having signed a contract from the past administration, but fell short to explain why the guards have not been paid their money.
What is not yet clear is whether the arrangement is between the private guard security and hospital directly, or the government is involved through the Justice Ministry, or the Liberia National Police.
