Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

HMP creating in-house hospital ward for minor medical needs

HMP creating in-house hospital ward for minor medical needs

The territory’s sole correctional facility will soon have the capacity to handle certain medical needs of inmates in the comfort of an internal hospital ward.

Acting Superintendent of Prisons, Mario Christopher said this was one of the ongoing changes taking place at Her Majesty’s Prison in Balsam Ghut.

The hospital ward is located where the chapel once was while the chapel has been moved to a new location outside the prison’s gym facilities.

Christopher described the move as necessary.

“So instead of having to send inmates to the hospital for minor things that they might have to overnight for, we can do all of that here,” he said.

According to Christopher, the prison pushed to have this facility due to a recent issue at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital a few months ago where there were three inmates at the hospital at one time.

“The hospital was not able to house them in one single area, so that cost us, three staff, so our resources were depleted guarding the hospital when they should be guarding the prison,” Christopher further explained.

Successful stint in boss’s chair


In the meantime, Christopher said his stint as the Acting Superintendent went smoothly. He said Superintendent of Prisons Verne Garde left the territory for his annual vacation on March 19 and returned on July 12.

He said after his two-week quarantine, Garde commenced work on August 6 and Christopher will officially hand-over the reins to him sometime this week.

“In his absence, the compound continued to function as normal as if he were here because one of the things Mr Garde did is that he structured things in such a way that whoever is in the superintendent’s chair merely has to follow the plan. So there was no adverse situation that we encountered in his absence. One of the things we are proud to say is we had no serious incidents, we had no escapes, and given the current pandemic situation, we had no cases of COVID-19 detected within the prison,” Christopher said during an interview on Tuesday.

He said when COVID-19 was detected in the territory, they took ‘extreme measures’ and some of these measures included inspections as well as lecturers on the hygiene and sanitization protocols by the Ministry of Health.

“We also took the opportunity to draft a pandemic plan which we didn’t have before and so we coupled the pandemic plan with our hurricane disaster plan, and we also put in a business continuity plan in the event that something were to happen that the prison could continue to function,” he explained.

Christopher said the prison further identified an area for isolation, which can house up to 10 persons for quarantine purposes if needed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×