Health Minister denied entrance into hospital

By Confidente Reporter
HEALTH minister, Dr Ben­hard Haufiku was ironically prevented entrance to Ka­tutura Hospital’s casualty ward by two security guards who repeatedly asked him to produce his ‘pass card’ because they did not know him.
Haufiku rushed to the hospital last Friday afternoon in his private car to attend to complaints by patients that only one doctor was on duty in that ward at the time. Before his arrival, a nurse had reportedly refused to speak to him on the phone so as to explain the situation.
Confidente understands that Hau­fiku tried to park his car at the hos­pital’s staff parking area when he was asked to either identify himself or use the public’s entrance to the hospital.
When Confidente arrived at the hospital at the time, Haufiku’s car was parked outside the doctors’ parking lot.
“I received a phone call from a former patient who accompanied an elderly patient to the hospital but stood in the queue for up to eight hours because only one doctor was on duty. Before I arrived to the hos­pital, a nurse had also refused to talk to me on the phone although she was told I requested she talks to me about the situation. Concerned I rushed to the hospital to establish what was going on. I get to the parking area, told the security guards that I am the Minister of Health and that I was rushing to sort out a matter. They re­fused to open the gate to the parking area although I told them that one can accompany me so that our staff members or at least a doctor can tell them who I am. They refused so I left my car outside the parking area and dashed into the hospital,” Hau­fiku explained.
In their defense, the security guards who preferred anonymity said that they do not know Haufiku adding he could have been anybody claiming to be the minister.
“How were we supposed to know that he is the Minister of Health? We do not know him. We asked for his pass card but it appears he didn’t have it. He then told us that he is the Min­ister of Health, but we do not know him. So he left his car and ran into the hospital,” one of the guards said.
The second guard said that they are not to blame because Haufiku failed to identify himself. “He didn’t show us any proof so how were we sup­posed to know that he is telling the truth? I have never seen his face before. We don’t know all the min­isters. We only know the President. He should have just identified him­self properly so that we know him.”
Meanwhile, Haufiku also said that the nurse who refused to talk to him on the phone is going through a dis­ciplinary hearing for insubordina­tion.