Dear Editor,

Over the years, there have been a number of concerns relating to security at Princess Margaret Hospital. And there was an incident that prompted the appropriate authority to erect a perimeter fence. The job has been completed for several weeks now and, as part of safety measures, the back gate on Nutts River Road has been locked since then.

For a while, as a custom, people of Lyssons and surrounding areas use the compound as a thoroughfare, take public or private transportation at the main gate and, on Sundays, youth from the community would access the premises in order to play soccer. As a result of the ‘shut-out’, those who are accustomed to accessing the premises have had to go all the way around to the main gate, which is frustrating.

Though I understand the security concerns, it is unclear to me why people are not allowed to use the gate, except for hospital delivery and vehicles from funeral homes. Also, there is a newly erected security shed at the back gate, but it is not being used.

For weeks now, there have been a lot of issues regarding the closure of the back gate, which is a change that many people cannot deal with due to their unwillingness to adapt or resistance to improvement. Even though the Princess Margaret Hospital is over 50 years old, I assume that the health facility is the last one in Jamaica to be fenced. Can the Government afford to let people damage the newly erected perimeter fence in order to gain access?

Charlie Brown

Lyssons, St Thomas

charliebrown1004@gmail.com