Inuvik (Feb 17/03) - With the opening of the new Inuvik Regional Hospital next month, hospital staff are still looking at options to make it a safer environment for patients and staff.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 28, a male psychiatric patient with a history of psychosis pulled out a jackknife and stabbed a hospital guard in the chest multiple times. The patient had voluntarily admitted himself two hours before.

The 51-year-old victim has fully recovered from his injuries. The psychiatric patient remains in Edmonton, where he has been undergoing an extensive psychiatric assessment since the incident occurred.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Mark Wharton assured the public last month that charges will be laid soon. But the ordeal left hospital staff shaken and wondering if current security measures were enough.

An internal security review commenced shortly after the incident occurred.

Dr. Braam de Klerk said the new hospital will be more secure to intruders than the old one, but said, "There is nothing we can do with the people already inside."

That problem remains and de Klerk said staff are still considering preventative measures to help protect hospital guards.

"In the meantime when we admit psychiatric patients we get a guard whenever we think it's necessary, but obviously we had a guard last time too," he said.

At the time of the incident, that guard was also acting as a receptionist. He was also responsible for watching people enter and exit the hospital, and ensuring all doors were locked at night.

De Klerk said there are no plans to add any additional guards because of budget restrictions.

"This is the best we can do at this stage," he said.

"The problem, always, is money."

Adequate security "is a problem across the North," he said. But hospital administrators are still "looking at changed contact for security personnel."

That means "making sure the people on the switchboard are security trained so we can expect them to look after things in time of crisis," he said.