In the court battle over the closure of Long Island College Hospital, a doctor's testimony on Friday painted a bleak picture of life inside the downtown Brooklyn institution, where just eight patients remain.

Alice Garner, chief of newborn services at the hospital, said the hospital is barricaded and watched over by about a dozen armed guards. Before being admitted to the hospital, patients are asked to sign an acknowledgment that the services they need might not be available at all times due to doctor shortages.

A spokesman for SUNY said the guards are to ensure patient safety because of disruptive protests and attempts by protesters to enter the hospital. Sending patients to other hospitals is necessary because a large numbers of doctors and nurses have left voluntarily in recent weeks, SUNY officials have said.

At issue during Friday's hearing in part was an order issued by Brooklyn state Supreme Court Justice Johnny L. Baynes that requires SUNY Downstate to keep staffing and services at the same level as they were on July 19. Attorneys fighting to keep the hospital open argued that SUNY officials have continued to reduce services and staffing.

Dr. Garner, an advocate for keeping the hospital open, also testified Friday that she was told by another physician that the emergency room has just one attending physician. A SUNY spokesman said that the emergency room is staffed with one physician at night and two during the day, the level needed to handle a significantly reduced traffic of 40 to 50 patients a day.

SUNY has previously said it plans to continue operating the hospital, which is losing $15 million a month, until the fall.

It has been prevented from closing the hospital due to lawsuits by health-workers unions and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. Justice Baynes said he hopes to make a decision by Friday on whether to dismiss the lawsuits thus allowing the hospital to close, but urged the parties to reach a settlement before then.

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What is the morality of placing a hospital in the position of having to hire armed guards?