Patient robbed while recovering from surgery in Canaries hospital
A patient recovering from surgery at the Materno Infantil Hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was robbed in her hospital bed while she slept, in a shocking incident that has exposed growing security fears inside the complex.
The theft happened early on Saturday, 13th September. When the woman woke up, she discovered that her phone, handbag, ID documents and other personal items had all disappeared. The intruder is believed to have searched her belongings, found the key to her locker, and calmly emptied it as she lay unconscious from her operation.
Her sister filed a complaint with the National Police, and said her sibling was devastated, left not only without her belongings, but with the chilling realisation that someone had been inside her room while she was asleep and defenceless.
Hospital staff admit this was not an isolated incident. They say suspicious figures are often seen wandering the corridors at night, and thefts have been steadily increasing. Vending machines have been broken into, cash boxes for hospital televisions forced open, and even the chapel has been repeatedly targeted. The situation is so bad that the priest has posted a blunt message on the collection box: “If you need it, take it — and leave your donation here. Thank you.”
Security at the hospital is described as woefully inadequate. At night, only four guards patrol the entire complex, leaving vast areas exposed. Staff claim the problem has worsened since security gates were removed at the loading bay to allow for construction work on the new paediatric tower. Now, intruders from surrounding neighbourhoods can slip inside with ease.
One employee warned: “All it takes is for a helicopter to arrive and a guard to be called to the roof, and the way into the Materno is completely clear.”
In recent days, even the doors of offices have been found forced open. Hospital management has promised more security staff and tougher measures, but both patients and workers say they still feel vulnerable in a place where safety should be the last thing they need to worry about.
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