A St Mary's Hospital nurse appears to have addressed a patient in a manner that does not convey empathy‚ KwaZulu-Natal Health is quoted in a report in The Times as saying. "The nurse also appears to be changing the patient’s nappy without drawing the bedside curtains to maintain the privacy of the patient. Such conduct is contrary to the Batho Pele principles and Codes Governing Health Care Professionals‚" said departmental spokesperson Samuel Mkhwanazi.
The report says the department was responding to a video which shows a nurse telling the bedridden patient to "get up" and use the bed pan.
A 30-year-old woman posted the video on Facebook on Tuesday shortly after she discharged herself from the Pinetown hospital because she was also traumatised by the alleged abuse and the subsequent death of her ward mate‚ 43-year-old Mavis Ngcobo.
"Management of St Mary’s Hospital is dealing with this matter according to the Department of Health’s disciplinary procedures‚" said Mkhwanazi.
"The KZN Department of Health strongly condemns the alleged conduct of a staff nurse from St Mary's Hospital, which if true, would be in violation of the code of conduct of healthcare professionals," the department said. According to a News24 report, the department said the conduct of the nurse was unbecoming.
The report quotes the woman who posted the video as saying that she had tears in her eyes while filming the ‘mistreatment’. But she added, she did so in the hope that it would bring about change in the way patients are treated in government hospitals.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-11-08-viral-video-nurse-to-face-disciplinary-action-kzn-health-department/"]The Times report[/link]
[link url="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/patient-films-alleged-mistreatment-of-bedridden-women-in-government-hospital-20171108"]News24 report[/link]