Johannesburg – The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) in Gauteng is deeply disturbed by the weekend stabbing incident at Helen Joseph Hospital, which resulted in serious injuries to an on-duty nurse.
This follows an incident in which criminals disguised themselves as escorts of an injured patient, stormed into the hospital, and attacked nursing staff. A male nurse was stabbed in the abdomen by two men escorting a wounded patient.
It was reported that the assailants converged on the nurse, who had gone outside for a comfort break, and attempted to rob him of his cellphone before stabbing him in the parking lot.
Denosa’s deputy chairperson, Thabang Sonyathi, said it was very disturbing and concerning that a nurse was attacked on the premises of the hospital while on duty and the perpetrators managed to escape without a trace.
"We are calling on law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and that justice is served.
"We are also calling on the community to assist law enforcement with information that will lead to the apprehension of these thugs.
"Communities need to realise that an attack on healthcare workers is an attack on the healthcare system, and the people who will always suffer if this goes unabated are the same community members.
"As a result, the nurse will be lost to healthcare service until he is fully recovered, when there is a serious shortage of staff in healthcare facilities."
He said in January, urine was thrown at a clinic in Ekurhuleni, and now a nurse has been being stabbed at a hospital.
"We have long been raising our concerns about the safety of nurses at the workplace, and this is yet another example of the employer, the Department of Health and Wellness, failing to provide a safe working environment for its employees," said Sonyathi.
He added that Denosa would be requesting an urgent meeting with the HOD to find out what the department intended to do about the issue of safety in the workplace for their members.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, strongly condemned the attack, saying it was disrespectful, and implored the police to find the perpetrators as the incident was captured on CCTV cameras.
The attack highlighted the need for new security contracts at Gauteng public hospitals, according to the Democratic Alliance's Jack Bloom.
"Hospital security contracts were last awarded in 2014 for a two-year period that expired in November 2016, and the Gauteng Health Department has been slow to re-advertise the contracts.
"New security contracts should be advertised and awarded as soon as possible to ensure cost-effective security that stops the thefts and protects staff and patients," said a spokesperson.
The Star