The Dario Contreras Public Hospital has become the first public hospital to limit visiting hours. The hospital, alarmed by an increase in expenditures, increase in internal theft and concerns about the cleanliness of wards, and safety of patients, said it will no longer allow relatives and friends to spend the night with patients. It was estimated that any given evening, there were an additional 400 persons walking around within the hospital. The hospital is now placing an extra work burden on its hospital personnel that in the past relied on the help of the visitors to keep on eye on the patients. Visiting hours are now limited from 1 to 4 pm.
