Spanish university hospital combats theft with IP video

The Miguel Servet University Hospital that opened in 1955 in Spain installed a network video surveillance system to protect the 1,345-bed facility from theft. The hospital with 4,800 employees previously had no video surveillance system and had experienced a spate of property thefts, with one particular case amounting to the loss of more than US$7,800 (€6,000) in a month. After consulting hospital staff several times, Axis Communications' local partner and system integrator, DeInta, installed the system that comprises 18 IP cameras, video servers and encoders, and Milestone VMS.

DeInta chose the networked approach because of its flexibility and scalability, and implemented in several stages. Initially, network cameras were installed in the main corridors to monitor the hospital entry and exit points and were connected to the building's network. In the second stage, a dedicated VLAN was created within the main network. A storage server was then installed to store the video feeds sent by the cameras. Cameras installed in the project include 15 cameras streaming at 15 fps, two cameras with varifocal DC-iris lens for outdoor light conditions, and one with simultaneous M-JPEG and MPEG-4.

A similar system is also to be installed in all the new buildings being constructed on the hospital site and to extend existing infrastructure to additional, vulnerable floors and other critical areas. The system supports existing analog equipment and enables staff to remotely monitor the hospital, record and review images generated by sensors or alarm triggers, and receive e-mail or text alert notifications. Staff can monitor the system using mobile devices or PDAs.

“Since the video surveillance system was installed, the improvement has been absolute; from an average of one theft a week, we had none during the first five months the system was operating,” said José Ramón Vera, Security Section Manager of the hospital. “We also have peace of mind knowing that with the new digital video surveillance system, the new control center and the security staff, the hospital is being constantly monitored.”