A Free State man is expected to appear in court this week after he was arrested for assaulting a nurse at Thabong clinic in Welkom. 

The man, who was on parole at the time, went to the clinic in the early hours of the day before the assault, and was not helped as fast as he would have liked. 

“The patient left on his own accord only to return the next day with a bucket full of faeces which he poured on the health worker and causing filth in the reception area,” says Free State health MEC Viceroy Mahlatsi in a statement.

“After the attack, the perpetrator bragged and posted the aftermath of his violent and demeaning attack on Facebook,” Mahlatsi says. 

Attack ‘uncalled for’

Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) and The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) in the Free State have joined the health department in lambasting the attack. 

DENOSA Free State chairperson, Talbort Thole, says the actions are uncalled for.

“We are calling for the department to provide our nurses with security. We call on our members to exercise professionalism at all times and not engage in fights. We therefore would like to plead with the public not to assault nurses regardless of what may have happened,” says Thole.

NEHAWU secretary Konstable Selebedi also weighs in.

“It is uncalled for to assault a worker and we are calling for employer’s support for the employee.”

The police apprehended the suspect after the health worker filed a case. The MEC’s office provided her with counselling soon after the incident. 

Mixed reactions 

Masabata Monyobo is a member of the community in Thabong. She says nurses are ignoring patients’ psychological problems. 

“What happened is not right and it should’ve been stopped but our nurses are taking patients for a ride. How can you fail to help a patient who came to the clinic two consecutive days?” she asks.

Member of the clinic committee which helps to control the queues and ensure effective services, Disebo Monaheng called on the public to work with nurses.  “I want to appeal to our public to help us by being patient when they are at the health facilities. They need to understand that it takes time to help a single patient. We were at the clinic and we saw what happened, the guy was not talking well with the nurses he demanded to be helped and he was swearing at the nurses,” she says. – Health-e News