By Halshane Burke
Critical areas at Princess Margaret Hospital in St. Thomas are without the services of security personnel.
The guards, who are attached to Atlas Security and were assigned to the hospital, have not been showing up for work since Saturday.
Errol Greene, head of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), says arrangements were made with the security company and the hospital for coverage to be provided to critical areas.
The guards are reportedly protesting the non-payment of their wages, with one guard stating that he has not been paid for the last seven fortnights.
Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Melecia Linton, told Radio Jamaica News that she was made aware of the concerns and has launched an investigation into the issues affecting the guards.
But Ms Linton has sought to assure that patient care and regular activities at the hospital have not been negatively affected by the actions of the guards.
When contacted by Radio Jamaica News, the Operations Manager at Atlas Security was said to have been in a meeting. Up to news time, there has been no word from the company on the concerns of the guards.
The security guards are assigned to key checkpoints such as the gates, wards and emergency sections of the hospital.
