Cairo: Kuwaiti authorities plan to step up protection for patients at hospitals after a female patient was recently killed by her brother, the country’s Health Minister Dr Basel Al Sabah has disclosed.
Last September, a man broke into an intensive care unit (ICU) in Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital and shot dead his patient sister.
According to the minister, an administrative probe into the incident resulted in a set of recommendations aimed to ensure further protection to patients at hospitals.
Health services
The recommended measures include replanning the hospitals’ exits and entrances to limit the numbers of people by allowing in only patients who have beforehand appointments for health services as well as increasing the number of security personnel at doors of ICUs during the visit schedules when a public relations officer will also be on duty.
The recommendations including devising a coordination mechanism with the Interior Ministry to boost security precautions to protect similar cases.
A door will be installed next to the ICU at each hospital restricted to visitors of ICU patients, allowing visitors to see patients through windows, the minister said. Such a passageway for visitors will be monitored by surveillance cameras.
