Give Now
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
  • Full Schedule
Watch Live

Baja to Build Operating Room in Tijuana Prison to Protect Hospital Doctors

By Amy Isackson / Border Reporter,  KPBS Public Broadcasting
Published May 27, 2008 at 12:32 PM PDT
This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Baja California's Secretary of Public Health says the state will build an operating room at the penitentiary. That's to protect doctors at Tijuana's General Hospital from attending to suspected drug c

Baja to Build Operating Room in Tijuana Prison to Protect Hospital Doctors

Baja California's Secretary of Public Health says the state will build an operating room at the penitentiary. That's to protect doctors at Tijuana's General Hospital from attending to suspected drug cartel members. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has the story.

Many doctors at Tijuana's General Hospital say they're afraid to work there knowing that wounded drug cartel members could be rushed in for treatment at any moment.

Advertisement
Become a KPBS sponsor

Last April, drug cartel gunmen blasted their way into the emergency room to rescue a wounded cohort. They killed two policemen in the process and then holed up inside the hospital for half the day.

The Hospital went on lockdown again last month after eight gunmen injured in a grisly shootout were rushed in for treatment. Doctors were forced to turn away non-emergency patients for a few days afterwards due to security concerns.

Since last month, doctors have implored government officials to stop the violence in Tijuana and protect them.

Health officials say the new operating room at the state lock-up could take up to five months to complete and will have three to five beds.

Amy Isackson, KPBS News.

Amy Isackson
Amy Isackson was the border reporter at KPBS from 2004 to 2011. She covered breaking news and feature stories on California-Mexico border issues and immigration, for local and national broadcast. Amy got her start in public radio by pitching a series of stories about rural New Zealand - horse dentistry and sheep sheering - to Radio New Zealand's "Country Life" program. She then worked with Peabody Award-winning radio producers Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, to help create the Sonic Memorial, a series of stories on the World Trade Center before, during and after 9/11. Amy's work has been recognized with awards from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California and Nevada, the California Chicano News Media Association, and the San Diego Press Club. She won the Sol Price Prize for Responsible Journalism in 2009 from the Society of Professional Journalists for her story about high school students smuggling people and drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to venturing into the wonderful world of public radio, Amy worked for Yahoo! Inc. for nearly five years as an editorial surfer, associate producer and broadcast communications manager. She majored in Latin American History at Williams College. She grew up in San Diego and made frequent trips south of the border.
See stories by Amy Isackson
More News