THE management of the Ridge Hospital in Accra, has beefed up the security situation at the hospital following reported cases of theft in some of the wards, especially at the night. Currently, the hospital has engaged the services of a private security agency for night patrols at the hospital and it environs. Items such as mobile phones, wrist watches and money belonging to patients on admission are reportedly stolen daily at the hospital. A source at the hospital told the Times that there had been frequent reports of stealing and attacks on both patients and staff at the hospital. The most recent incident, it said, was about three weeks ago in which some patients at the Surgical Ward 8 were robbed of their mobile phones and other valuables around 11:30 pm. The nurses on duty were alleged to have been asleep. Mr. Kwame Opoku, Principal Health Service Administrator, confirmed the thefts and said the recent incident was just one of the numerous cases that had been reported at the hospital adding that most of them took place in the day. He said as a measure to address the situation, the authorities have decided to fence the whole hospital. Mr. Opoku said that when the hospital started receiving the reports of such cases, the administration invited the Adabraka police to assist in night patrol, but because they were constrained with personnel, only one police officer was assigned to the Out-Patients-Department. He said the private security personnel had also been brought in to beef up the security at the hospital, adding that security posts would be mounted at vantage points at which visitors to the hospital would be scrupulously examined before allowed entry into the hospital premises. The main gate, according to him, would be modernised with electronic apparatus. Times