Strangford Alliance Assembly Member Kieran McCarthy has expressed his shock at the knifing of a security guard in the Ulster Hospital, the latest in a series of attacks on hospital staff.
The Ards Alderman stated: “This attack constitutes a new low. Why are we in Northern Ireland so tolerant of such horrific assaults? People are almost becoming immuned to this barbarism.
“Hospitals are supposed to be places of relaxation and recuperation. Yet patients and staff alike are quickly coming to find them places of fear. How long are we as a society going to allow this?
“Community leaders must focus on the devil within. People are coming out of neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland and committing the most gruesome offences.
“We as a society must demonstrate our opposition to such attacks, and work towards a situation where staff and patients know that their stay in hospital will be safe.”
ENDS