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At UN, Talk of Printing Plant
Stroke Death and Ambulance Delay, Dangers Unmitigated After One Year,
Workers Say
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, March 6 -- There
was a buzz both angry and sad among staff at the UN on Friday, about
the death
of a printing worker who had a stroke the previous night in the third
basement
publishing plant. According to colleagues of his, it took nearly an
hour for a
New York City ambulance to be allowed into to attend to him. They
offered to
carry him themselves for treatment, but were told that they couldn't.
Speaking to Inner City Press on condition on
anonymity -- they expressed
fear of retaliation even for disclosing this -- they described another
situation slightly more than a year ago, in which a printing plant
worker had
his fingers crushed in a machine, and again the arrival of medical
services was
delayed.
They questioned why, other than during the September
to October General
Assembly meeting period, there is not even a nurse on duty when they
work the
night shift. They said it makes them question the United Nations
Organization
and its commitment to the basic rights of its own line workers, despite
its
pronouncements about the right of others.
"Imagine," one of the dead man's colleagues told
Inner City
Press, "we work on 42nd Street on the island of Manhattan and it takes
an
hour for an ambulance to reach us."
What's worse in this situation is that a year ago,
the same problem
arose, and while a journalist died of a stroke on the UN's third floor,
a New
York Fire Department vehicle was stopped at the UN's gate from First
Avenue.
When Inner
City Press reported on that story, the UN Spokesperson's office
pushed
back, denying the time line, implying it would not happen again. Now,
according
to UN printing plant staff, it has happened again. Where will
accountability
lie?
UN's Ban Ki-moon tours printing plant, ambulance access not shown
Last year, at the Feb. 22, 2008
UN noon
briefing, Inner City Press asked:
Inner
City Press: How long did it take and what is the policy of the UN on
letting emergency medical personnel on the UN property?
Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq: First of all, there were emergency
medical personnel on hand at the time. As I just mentioned, three UN
security officers who are qualified EMTs performed CPR on Mr.
Janitschek, and there was no sign of life at the time. A defibrillator
was used to try to start his heart, to no avail, and appropriate
medical protocols were followed. The person who was with Mr.
Janitschek, Mr. Casella, your colleague, had immediately called the UN
operator, who called security, who then called the emergency
responders, including a direct call to New York hospital. The first responder was
actually a fire engine truck. They
were not allowed in, because they could not provide the level
of care needed, compared to the trained EMTs, who were there on site
already, the three UN security officers. An ambulance arrived 10
seconds later, and that ambulance and paramedics were let in directly.
Like I said, all of that was to no avail, ultimately. Mr. Janitschek
gave no sign of life throughout this process.
Inner City Press: First of all, who decides whether to let in or not to
let in a New York City fire truck? And what is the policy of the UN in
terms of this? Does it automatically allow emergency or fire personnel
without [searching or blocking them]?
Associate Spokesperson: We have the protocol to call in emergency
responders when there is an emergency in the building, and that
protocol was followed. As far as checking vehicles that come in, that
is a standard security procedure, but that did not result in any
significant delay. Like I said, the ambulance and paramedics were let
in directly.
The UN later added that [After the briefing, the Spokesperson’s Office
confirmed that the ambulance was not stopped at the front gate at all.]
Editor's note: beyond that fact that
several witnesses continue to describe the searching of the ambulance,
no one has rebutted or even denied the 24 minute response time. In the
UN's scripted statement at Friday's noon briefing, highlighted above,
it is said that a fire truck was denied entry. A UN security officer
after the briefing confirmed that when FDNY vehicles come to the UN,
the policy is to not let them in unless there is / the UN is aware of a
fire. There's a problem: FDNY took over EMS ambulances some time ago,
and FDNY personnel are trained in the procedures which were needed that
February 2008 night. So
why have a policy that includes turning away official NYC emergency
responders from the FDNY? Now,
there's this event in March 2009. Watch this site.
Click here for Inner City
Press' Feb 26 UN debate
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017
USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile (and
weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
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2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
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