“The Police Officer Told Me He Is Surprised That Government Would Send Medevacs to a Place [That] Is Not Secured.”

www.sams.sh THE South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd. Vol. 8,SENTINEL Issue 15 - Price: £1 “serving St Helena and her community worldwide” Thursday 11 July 2019 “The Police Officer told me he is surprised that Government would send medevacs to a place [that] is not secured.” Saint speaks out “to correct the Pretoria robbery press release” ... pages 2-4 Finally! Fibre-Optic Cable and 100% Renewable Energy Agreements Surface Again ... pages 4, 5 Island Games: Team Members Beat Personal Bests ... page 31 Fresh Genes for Island’s Goats ... page 11 “Around the World in 80 Saints” Returns This Week: Nathaniel Yon, London ... page 10 2 www.sams.sh Thursday 11 July 2019 | THE SENTINEL THE SENTINEL | Thursday 11 July 2019 www.sams.sh 3 OPINION YOUR LETTERS ST HELENA NEWS other settings including intensive care has frankly hit the rock-bottom of But Doreen says the armed robbery did “I thought they should have left it accommodation, shops and cash- (Chapman 2016). public perception. not happen while they were shopping. for the next morning – got the details exchange were all significantly closer SENTINEL So to the new Locum Director... I Instead, it happened at the gated properly before they broadcasted it,” she to the Hospital. And Saints all knew implore you. Use such evidence to entrance to their accommodation. said. the people who would accompany them change this outdated policy. This South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd., For context – Doreen had departed St shopping and aid them to walk places COMMENT is a simple fix that can do a lot for The Media Centre, Castle Gardens, Helena June 1 to accompany her daughter, We did not receive the counselling stated – taking a taxi or walking 15 minutes Andrew Turner, SAMS the welfare of the patients and their Jamestown, St Helena, South Atlantic who was a medical patient being sent by in the release and ExCo report across town was not necessary. families, and perhaps (with a bit of Ocean, STHL 1ZZ. Tel: 22727 SHG for a major operation in Pretoria. “The persons are receiving pastoral But the arrangements in Pretoria felt luck) do something to stop further SHG arranges accommodation in support and assistance from MSO,” the vastly different. The distance from the Many people complain about the E: [email protected], W: www.sams.sh hospital, but it is a topic I have so far reputational damage to a hospital that Pretoria for the medical patients – release goes on to say. accommodation to the Hospital and the avoided. Doreen was able to stay in the same And an Executive Council report June 18 nearest shopping centre – where Saints However, over the weekend I had accommodation at her own cost. said “Members also expressed concern need to buy food and exchange cash a family member in hospital. Now But Doreen’s daughter was the first to regarding the recent incident which took – is greater than with the Cape Town before I start complaining I do want First-Hand Account of be placed in a different accommodation place in Pretoria and were pleased to arrangement. Saints can’t exchange to say that the doctors and nurses than SHG’s usual arrangement. The note that the victims, and indeed all of money with a bank card, because Bank were exemplary. They were caring, guesthouse is about a 15 minute walk the patients and their Carers were being of St Helena cards don’t work anywhere explained the problem effectively and I What Really Happened: from the Hospital. supported by MSO including receiving but on-island; and Saint drivers licenses have no complaints on that front. It was right outside the guesthouse counselling and pastoral support.” are not valid forms of ID elsewhere. This But what really got to me is the where the incident happened. Doreen says this is not true. means that Saints needing to exchange frankly ridiculous visiting hours. Armed Robbery in Pretoria Around 1:15pm, after visiting the “I was angry,” Doreen said. “They money in Pretoria must carry cash and Being in hospital is one of the most nearest place to buy food and exchange were saying we were getting counselling passports to this nearest shopping centre. stressful experiences a person can go Emma Weaver, SAMS release that were inaccurate, and to cash, a taxi dropped off Doreen and the – [but I] don’t know where they would “We understand this can happen through. You’re there because you’re two other Saints. The taxi pulled away, get that information from. We weren’t anywhere in the world, but coming from sick and if that isn’t bad enough t 3:29pm June 13, SHG sent out a press help get Saints better protection when A and immediately three people pulled up getting any bit of counselling. It was just St Helena where there’s almost no crime, you’re expected to stay in a strange release stating that three St Helenians travelling to Pretoria. environment while others literally lay who had been accompanying patients on in a car. They were armed. The street was our own Saints that came every day and for Saints who are not used to this – it is dying around you. medical referral in Pretoria had been held No one contacted us before putting out quiet. The gate of the accommodation sat with us, keeping us together. really hard,” Doreen said. There are few comforts and perhaps at gunpoint while shopping. the press release is a significant distance from the “We didn’t have what we heard on And according to the South African the most helpful for a patient’s state The press release stated that the The first thing Doreen wanted to say accommodation, and no one answered the radio – no one came to counsel us. Police, Doreen said, the distance between of mind is having family there. A 2015 persons were safe and unharmed and was that no one from SHG had contacted the shouts for help. Everything they were Nobody came to take us to the doctor or the accommodation and the Hospital/ study showed that friends and family were receiving support. The release said them the day of the incident. carrying was taken, including passports. check us over. We didn’t have any contact centre could open people up to crime. play a huge role in patients’ emotional Pretoria is relatively low-crime, that this The armed robbery happened at around The owner of the accommodation was from SHG. We did have two pastoral “The Police told me there was likely wellbeing and therefore in recovery. sort of incident could have happened 1:15pm June 13. SHG’s press release was the first to come see what happened carers, but they couldn’t spend the time a ‘spotter,’ and they saw that we came So why were hospital staff constantly anywhere and that people need to travel sent out two hours later, at 3:29pm. after all belongings were stolen from with us because they had other medical from a foreign country and followed asking us to leave? sensibly. Within this time, no one from SHG the three Saints and the car had driven people to take out to the doctors. us around,” Doreen said. “So when we The first instance was The release immediately came under fire nor the MSO had contacted those off again. However, he did not provide “We had the Manager of MSO, she came go to the [shopping centre] to change understandable, we were asked to leave on social media. Community members involved, said Doreen. She therefore is much help, and he flew out of Pretoria looking say two days after – and she did our money – when we fill in the form while tests were done and to come back left wondering where SHG sourced the that afternoon. The group of three has say to us that we should know by that we have to fill in where we’re staying. in 15mins. But upon our return we were said statements within the release were information for the press release. not heard from him since. Wednesday about all our belongings, our They can still see Saints coming there again kicked out and told we wouldn’t untrue, and the tone of the release seemed to be blaming the victims rather money and whatever stolen. changing money... So it’s hard to believe be allowed in for another two hours. It’s not explicitly true that the “persons “But right up to this day I’ve not heard that will never happen again. We asked The patient was not informed that we than simply addressing the incident and The robbery happened at the SHG- looking to comfort the public. arranged accommodation, not the shops were not harmed” and were “safe” anything more about it.” pastoral support and the manager of the would not be allowed in and was left The next lines of the press release state Doreen - who did not leave the place and they said they couldn’t change thinking they had been abandoned. This week, The Sentinel sat down with “St Helena Government (SHG) are that the persons were not harmed and accommodation for a full week afterward our money for us.” For the life of me I cannot see any one of the three people who the press aware of an incident in Pretoria today sane reason for doing this. All we were release talked about, to get a first-hand where three St Helenians accompanying were safe. – said that the only real counselling they told was it was “for lunch.” Like I’ve account of the incident.

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