WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) says normality has been restored in all service areas at the Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital in Westmoreland.

Services were scaled down at the hospital due to unrest in the town over the killing of two men in close proximity to the hospital Friday night.

Following the killing, hostile residents, including women and children, took their protest onto the hospital compound threatening both police and hospital personnel, WRHA said in a release today.

A building containing hospital records and an ambulance which was not in use, were reportedly set ablaze and firefighters kept at bay. This led to fear among members of staff and a scaling down of some services since Friday night, the release said.

Discussions with Police Area One High Command led to security measures being implemented and transport arrangements made for staff moving in and out of the hospital.

Area One Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Paul Ferguson has advised that suspects in Friday night’s murder have been arrested and since then, tension in the town has died down and normality restored, WRHA explained.

According to WRHA, ACP Ferguson said, however, the measures put in place to safeguard hospital staff would remain in place until there was absolute certainty that there would be no further flare-up over this incident.

With this assurance, Chairman of the Western Regional Health Authority, Calvin Brown said all services are now up and running at the hospital as of this morning.

Brown has also expressed appreciation to hospital staff for their resilience and determination to see to the care of hospital patients in the face of misguided action by the protestors.